Alltel pursues cell phone tower in town
Tired of getting a poor signal on your cell phone while in town?
Soon, all your calls may come in crystal-clear thanks to a new cellular phone tower.
The City of Hillsboro is in discussions with Alltel to set up a cell phone tower on the former AMPI property. Nothing is definite yet, but city officials are optimistic.
"It looks very good that it's coming," said City Administrator Steve Garrett.
Representatives from Alltel visited the AMPI lot last Tuesday and concluded that a new cell tower could be placed on the lot. More specifically, they're eyeing an area near the east boundary of the property.
According to Alltel representative Bud Harlow, the company would need to lease a patch of land that's 40 feet by 40 feet, plus they'd need easement access to the site. The initial lease would be for five years.
They haven't decided on a specific site on the property.
But Hillsboro cell phone users shouldn't get too eager — it could take some time before the tower finally arrives.
It could be two or three months before the final decision is made, Garrett said. Then there would be more months before the tower is actually installed.
"This stuff doesn't happen quickly," he said.
