By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
In March, the Barton County Commission approved the construction of a 468-foot tower southwest of Albert. Tuesday morning, the body approved the construction of another tower directly south of Lake Barton Golf Club, and west of Barton Hills on the west side of US-281 Highway. Zoning Administrator Judy Goreham laid out the design of the tower for the commission.
"The tower that's being proposed is 375 feet tall and it has a 10-foot lightning rod, so total height would be 385 feet," she said. "It is a triangular-shaped tower, so it's not lattice, but it does have guys that are anchored to the ground."
The total area covered by the tower and cables will be approximately 10 acres. The land is owned by the Patricia K. Haberman Trust at 673 B N US-281 Highway. The zoning commission held a public meeting on Sept. 14 with no feedback from neighboring property owners.
"What I've learned over the years is that when you have landowners that are within 1,000 feet," Goreham said, "and they receive a written invitation and a copy of an application to come and speak their mind, and no one comes, no one calls, and no one emails, then I generally believe that's because nobody has any issues with it, and that's the case with this tower."
The tower has already been approved by the Federal Communications Commission and Federal Aviation Administration. T-Mobile will own the tower but can rent out space to other companies. Goreham believes the tower will help alleviate some service outages north of Great Bend. The tower will feature white flashing lights during the day and red lights at night. Patrick Haberman said the golf course will benefit from upgraded electrical service and access to fiber connectivity.