Following a considerable Tuesday night presentation from AT&T representatives, and details from Seven Springs Farms owners Joe and Ashley Nichols, the Cadiz-Trigg County Planning Commission unanimously approved the installation of a 195-foot mono-pole wireless tower in Wallonia.
The decision is expected to change the landscape of cellular and internet service five miles north of Cadiz, including the Black Hawk and Cerulean communities, as communication has been dicey at times for civilians, businesses, churches and law enforcement in this region.
Keith Brown, a litigator for Pike Legal Group and Murray State University graduate, said he was familiar with west Kentucky and its pockets of poor coverage. He has been part of an attorney panel that’s installed four prior towers for AT&T in Trigg County, and he noted that of the 18 local towers registered with the Federal Communications Commission, all but 17 are taller than this one.
One is approximately the same height.
The proposed location is near the front door to Seven Springs Farms and its main office, and the Nichols family called the move a “no-brainer” not only for their production — but also for their neighbors.
Brown said the compound would be housed behind a 50-foot by 50-foot chain link fence measuring six feet in height with a two-foot barbed wire barrier. The tower itself is designed with a 0-foot fall radius, meaning that if a catastrophic event — such as a tornado or earthquake — somehow brought the tower down, it would crumple into a pile, rather than topple over onto adjacent property.
The tower and its base will also be engineered to support co-location, meaning other cellular and wireless providers could come along and piggyback on subsidy.
The nearest residence is 392 feet from the tower, owned by the Nichols, and the nearest residence not owned by the Nichols is more than 500 feet away from the tower’s hearth.
Furthermore, while it’s no longer an A-plus priority, Brown also noted that AT&T does have eventual plans for a tower on Cobb Road — just between Cadiz, Princeton and Dawson Springs.
In other commission news:
— Realtor Beth Ricks was sworn in by Chappell Wilson as the newest member of the commission, following her initial approval from the Trigg County Fiscal Court. Her term expires March 2028. Chair Todd Wallace also said the panel remains in need of one seat to be filled.
— And the next hurdle to be cleared for the revamped and researched City of Cadiz zoning map is the thorough vetting from the Pennyrile Area Development District. Wallace said all ordinances and corroborated details have to be presented to Angela Herndon, and similar cohorts, before a draft is put in front of Cadiz City Council.
