Agenda - 08-22-2006-6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation `" A Touchstone Hnergy® Cooperative ~~ Gcncral Office: P.O. Drawcr 1179 HillsboFOUgh, NC 27278 (919) 732-2123 Feu: (919) 644-1030 Branch Office: P-O.. Box 1327 5135 Oxford Road Roxboro, NC 275/3 (336} 599-0151 Fsx: (336) 597-9088 NC'Tolf Frcc: 1-800-222-3107 Wcb Address: wwwpemc.org July 18, 2006 Mr. Craig Benedict Orange County Planning Department Hillsborough, NC 27278 On July 6, 2008, Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation (PEMC) submitted an application to construct a new communications tower at our Headquarters located at 2500 Highway 86 South in Hillsborough, NC. This tower will allow Piedmont EMC to improve our radio coverage across our service territory and better coordinate storm restoration and routine communications to our operations personnel in the field. Also, maintaining electric service has become a concern to the Department of Homeland Security as part of critical infrastructure, and the ability to communicate with our crews in the field is of critical importance at all times,. Our existing tower was approved by Orange County as a Sl1P-B for our radio communications and the new tower will be used for the same purpose, We have had numerous meetings with the Qrange County Planning Department and were just recently informed that the property had fo be rezoned. If in fact, we cannot proceed without a rezoning hearing, time is of the essence and we would request an accelerated rezoning process to try-fo maintain our cun'ent schedule. Our permit with the Federal Aviation Administration expires on 10/05/2006; and, we had planned to have the tower completed before we get into the winter months when we may be likely to experience an ice storm, The tower is described in detail in the application package that was provided to you and your staff on July 6, 2006 (if you have any specific questions about the site). The tower is designed to allow co-locates and the number of co-locates depends-upon the type of equipment and where on the tower the equipment is placed. Jack Ball, Director of Emergency Management, has expressed an interest in locating equipment on this tower to improve coverage if some issues with the present tower can't be resolved.. Piedmont also has had inquiries to co-locate ort our other tower in Orange County at Hurdle Mills. Piedmont, though, is in a position of not being able to allow anyone else on the Law's Tower in Hurdle Mills until we construct the new tower at the Hillsborough office. We have had a request from Michael T. Hodgson of the North Carolina Highway Patrol to locate equipment to complete their 800 MHZ project, which will allow communication among multiple agencies during emergencies such as hurricanes and ice storms.. Harold Oakley, ttte 911 Director in Person County, also wants to install equipment on the Law's Tower. Your attention in thismatter is appreciated President CEO Attachments Serving Orange, Person, Caswell, Alamance, Dutham, and Grenville Counacs