The Cornville Community Communications Infrastructure Partnership (Cornville-CCIP) THANKS YOU for your generous contributions to our win-win cell tower solution for Cornville. Not only does your donation inch us ever closer to our fundraising goal, each contribution is also an important YES vote for a To Size Tower placed in the smartest, safest location for Cornville.
UPDATE
Although we continue to be in communication with the Fire Chief, both by phone and in writing, we remain in a holding pattern with the Verde Valley Fire District. As you know, June 2, 2024—the date set by the VVFD Board of Supervisors to hold a second special session to revisit the tower fundraising issue—has come and gone. The Fire Chief tells us that he did not receive direction from his Directors to schedule a second a meeting.
THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
The Cornville-CCIP has an urgent need for a Memorandum of Understanding with the VVFD regarding the disposition of the funds we’re raising. Many of you have raised valid, important questions regarding the specifications of our community tower, including power/wattage operation maximums, management of revenues if they exceed maintenance budget, actual build budget, potential returns on investment for larger community contributors, among other good points. We have done our best to address your issues, along with other FAQs, on our Cornville-CCIP.org website.
To that end, we have proposed a Memorandum of Understanding that agrees to the radio antenna needed for the VVFD internal, First Responder, and emergency communications, which, as we in Cornville well know, is an urgent need. Believe it or not, these communications avenues are presently tied to real time "apps" on cell phones! And secondly, agrees to a maximum of two radiation centers (Verizon, AT&T, as both have dedicated emergency special "lanes" of call traffic). This will limit the height of the tower. A taller tower equals more rented space for radiation centers which equals more profit for the provider, and more RF radiation for Cornville. Two radiation centers will limit RF levels to only what is needed for filling gaps in coverage.
The Fire District has yet to get back to us regarding the Memorandum of Understanding.
VETTING AN ALTERNATIVE TOWER LOCATION TO STATION 32
We have identified an alternative tower location using topography and RF propagation analyses that not only is farther from most human habitation, but better protects our wetlands and endangered species. Amazingly, this relocated tower provides coverage to areas that would not have been reached by the proposed tower at Station 32. The documentation for our proposed tower has been submitted to the Fire Chief and he is talking to his contacts at Coconino National Forest about feasibility. There are also a number of empty, private lots that qualify for rezoning whose owners can be approached.
This is where we are at the moment—a holding pattern that will continue until the Fire District gets back to us on the Memorandum of Understanding.
WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU
We need YOU to vote with your dollars. Each donation, no matter how small, is a YES vote for the To-Size Tower placed in the smartest, safest location for Cornville. and will let the Fire District know that our community wants this win-win solution for Cornville.’s communication needs. Thanking you in advance for your donation and for sharing this with everyone you know.