Dialing for dollars: are cell phone towers in parks an economic boom or doom for park and recreation departments?

Do you allow cell towers in parks? That was a recent question posted from Appleton, Wis., on NRPA's listserv, NRPAnet. For information on how to join the discussion, select "eCommunities" from NRPA's Web site (www.nrpa.org). Here are some of the responses about the ramifications of implementing this technology:

We have two towers in Picnic Hill. They are on the water tower, and we receive $10,000 per year for each. The revenue is credited to parks and recreation, but just show-s as general fund revenue.-- Two Rivers, Wis.

So far we have three cell companies in one of our community parks at a ballfield, and we are currently writing up a contract to get a fourth provider in the same area. We provide them a ground site and they buy the lighting tower where our ballfield lights are mounted, as well as their antennas at the top. They had to turn the light tower over to parks because we didn't want them to leave at the end of the lease period and take out the towers, leaving us with nothing to mount our ballfield lights on. They had to build everything and maintain their ground space in addition to renovating any damaged tuft; irrigation systems, utilities, pavement, etc. Also each provider was required to purchase three or four trees to use as screening at the park. The revenue that parks derive keeps going up with some paying $12,000 per year. The latest one will pay $13,400 per year. The parks department does keep the money. It is used in our Life Cycle Fund (infrastructure replacement account) to replace and renovate park structures, irrigation, turf, parking lots, roads, ballfields, etc. This program has seen some significant cuts recently and these funds really help to keep our infrastructure intact.--Fort Collins, Colo.

Our city has an ordinance prohibiting above-ground utilities in parks. However, we do have one park that has a water tower and several communication-related companies have installed antennas on them. I think that the average revenue is $1,000 per month. The revenue up to this point has gone to the general fund. However, any future revenues will be going to the Public Art Fund.--Grapevine, Texas

The city of Madison does have agreements for cell antennas--mostly on our water towers and one installation on a lightpole in a ballfield. All revenues from these agreements go to the city's general fund. Although we have not had the situation arise yet, the city would consider offsetting its fees in exchange for a cell company making capital improvements at the site (e.g., new light standards, constructing a garage in a park for joint use by cell company and city, etc.). The city of Madison currently charges $22,000 per year. Our agreements are typically for an initial 5-year term, with 3- to 5-year renewals. The fee escalates at 4 percent per year. The fee covers up to six antennas. We're going to place an additional three antennas on the site for" the additional fee of $2,500 per year.--Madison, Wis.

We would if we could. But restrictions of federal grants received in the past do not allow non-recreation uses in any park that received a federal grant. --Lake Orion, Mich.

We were approached by Omnipoint about placing a tower in a park that is under design. They were going to "conceal" the antennae in a giant flag pole. We ended up not getting the tower as the flag pole was really going to be an eye sore. But the negotiations did get far enough to know that the rent was going to be $1,000 per month. The primary issues are zoning and the neighbors. We tried to get them to put the tower in another location in the park, and make it a clock tower, but that location was not feasible in terms of the cellular signal. Exton, Penn.

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