Shown is an outline of where SaskTel's new cell tower will be installed. (Submitted/City of North Battleford)

By Angela Brown

Yellow Sky project

City gives go ahead for new cell tower

Jul 4, 2022 | 3:30 PM

The City of North Battleford approved a request from SaskTel to build a new cell tower in the Yellow Sky district.

City planner and assistant director of corporate services Ryan Mackrell said in his report the major communications tower will be constructed north of the CUplex facility.

“Administration has been working with SaskTel for quite some time with this application,” he said. “They are needing to locate a new cell tower in the Yellow Sky area to expand their services for the existing customers and for the future.”

Several sites were looked at in the proposal, but some vacant space behind the CUplex appeared to be the most suitable since it would not be in the vicinity of any businesses or airport flight paths, and would not hinder the city’s plans for future development.

Mackrell said the parcel of land is quite small, at about half the size of a city lot, and is unserviced. He said it’s suitable for the location.

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“The flow does fit well,” he said. “We are not going to be utilizing or taking away from commercial area per se, that’s currently earmarked as future commercial development. This is within a corridor for utilities that would be proposed at this location.”

SaskTel wanted to purchase the land as opposed to leasing it for access and liability purposes.

City Manager Randy Patrick said selling the piece of property made the most sense to all parties.

“There is no great benefit to us I don’t believe in leasing it,” he said. “We might as well sell it and then we’re done with that project. And then there are taxes off of that.”

Council approved administration’s recommendation for the city to sell the 300 sq. metre partial-parcel of land located north of the CUplex for $14,500 plus all applicable legal, subdivision and associated costs for SaskTel to develop the cellular tower. They also authorized a discretionary use application from SaskTel for the land use.

The city did not receive any objections from the public on the proposal. SaskTel also plans to hold its own public engagement session about the project in the future.

“You do need them and they are an essential thing in today’s world, those towers,” Patrick said of the project. “This [area] was the least disruptive of all the areas we looked at.”

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angela.brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW