News

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The Verizon corporation is willing to design and build a cell tower facility to serve the Sky Hi community due to its relative isolation as an enclave of privately held land within the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. The Sky Hi community has typically been served by the existing site located near Buck Springs/Sky Hi Roads in the community of Pinetop Lakes CC. As the site in Pinetop Lakes continues to become more congested, its ability to serve Sky Hi has become compromised. This has created the need for a “dominant server” for the Sky Hi community. The proposed tower will be located on the lot owned by the Water District to the north of the pump house. There is no cost to Sky Hi residents for the building and installation of the tower.

The proposed facility consists of a 50’ X 50’ enclosure for the 75’ monopole structure and communications equipment cabinets, it will be designed to look like a Pine tree, with artificial bark clad to the base of the monopole structure and Pine branches extending upward on the structure to disguise or camouflage the antennas. While the site will initially support Verizon Wireless, it will be structurally and spatially designed to support additional tenants (“collocation”), including competing wireless carriers (i.e. Cellular One, T-Mobile, AT&T) as well as public safety entities. Vertical Bridge which is in the business of marketing, leasing, and managing multi-tenant communications facilities, will be partnering with the Verizon corporation so they will be working to facilitate the collocation of additional wireless providers to serve the Sky Hi community once the site is constructed.

Your Sky Hi Water Board is investigating this opportunity and would like all residents to have an opportunity to voice thoughts and concerns. Please submit your comments by April 30, 2022 via email (skyhidwid@gmail.com) or in writing to Sky Hi Domestic Water Improvement District, PO Box 974 Lakeside, AZ 85929. Please include your return address so we may contact you if needed.