Red Rock area residents oppose cell phone tower

Monday, Dec. 3, 2001 | 8:37 a.m.

Environmentalists and residents living near the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area are fighting a proposal to put a cell-phone tower in Calico Basin, a residential area surrounded by federal land.

The Clark County Commission is scheduled to weigh the proposal to build the 150-foot tower Wednesday. Despite a positive recommendation from county planning staff, the Clark County Planning Commission on Nov. 8 voted 4-2 to deny a use permit for the Sprint tower.

Forty-two people protested the application before the planning board.

The would-be builder of the tower, Wireless Facilities Inc., appealed the Planning Commission decision, automatically sending it to the full County Commission for review. The commission could approve or deny the application.

Dan Davis, representing Wireless Facilities Inc., said the company is likely to delay the issue until Dec. 19 in order to find a way to make the tower more acceptable to Calico Basin residents.

"We think it's awful," said Steve Schur, conservation organizer with the local arm of the Sierra Club. "That is right at the entrance to Red Rock Canyon, one of the most cherished natural places in Southern Nevada."

Schur said environmentalists fear that an approval will open the door for more commercial ventures in the Red Rock area.

County planning staff agreed there could be problems with a cell phone tower near Red Rock, but said the potential benefits outweigh those concerns.

Davis said some wireless phone users in the area lose service. That could affect hikers, rock climbers, bicyclists and others using the area, some of whom might need phone service in an emergency situation.

The Federal Communications Commission mandates that wireless phone services try to provide coverage for such areas, he said.

Davis said most of the concern about the project relates to its aesthetic impact in the scenic area. The company is trying to locate the tower in a way that is less noticeable for both residents and visitors, he said.