Representatives from Verizon attended Tuesday’s meeting of the Downey City Council to discuss the addition of a fourth cell tower in the city.
City of Downey Director of Community Development Aldo Schindler presented a plan to strategically locate the proposed cell tower within the city of Downey Department of Public Works Maintenance Yard. The design on the tower would be of a pine tree or “monopine” with an equipment enclosure next to the tower to reduce the visual impact to the surrounding area. The proposed lease agreement with Verizon would generate $480,000 in revenue over an initial 10-year agreement with options for extensions after the initial 10-year agreement.
This proposal comes off the heels of Verizon’s most recent request to add a tower in Downey. In 2016, Verizon approached the City of Downey to install an additional cell tower to service the dead zones around the Downey Landing, The Promenade and areas surrounding the Kaiser Permanente medical offices.
Mike Farraher, a representative from Verizon in charge of municipal engagement, was present to help answer questions.
Councilman Alex Saab led the questions regarding maintaining the cell tower sites, focusing not only on upkeep but on the aesthetics of the proposed tower as well. Saab expressed concern that over the term of the lease, the towers will be neglected by Verizon.
“I can tell you, as a resident, Verizon has been a very poor community partner,” Saab expressed to Farraher, “I visited all three today; I was very familiar with one that I have been asking our public works to ask Verizon to maintain it properly and I can tell you that if that is any indication on how you guys are going to continue to maintain your cellphone towers in our city and any other city, I don’t know how any city would permit you to come in.”
Saab proceeded to criticize the condition of the tower on Florence Blvd., describing it as “abysmal.”
Farraher responded to Saab’s concerns by stating that Verizon understands that “historically, it [Verizon] lacked an arm to maintain good will with municipalities.”
Saab retorted, “Would you maintain the towers in the same manner if it had been in Newport beach, Pasadena or Cerritos? I doubt it.”
Saab clarified to Farraher that he is not in support of this proposal. “I’m sorry, it’s not acceptable, it makes no sense to give you guys more opportunity to do business when you have failed miserably in the three other sites that you have. It’s clear where I walk every morning, I am very familiar with it, I had a gut feeling that the other sites are probably the same. I got the list, and sure enough, I wasn’t disappointed because it was as I expected,” Saab said. Saab concluded that he “can’t vote on this unless there’s a plan that you guys are going to fix those other sites and make them presentable.”
Farraher was invited back by the council to come back with what Saab referred to as a “concrete, well-thought plan,” at which point he would consider to continue doing business with Verizon.