New Emergency Communications Tower in St. Peters Could Reach 400 Feet

READ MORE: Communication Tower Site on St. Peters Howell Road Just One of 12 Proposed for County

Last week, St. Peters Patch brought you some background information about the new St. Charles County emergency communications system, with its network of 12 new towers, that was designed to bring the county into compliance with FCC mandates.

Patch spoke with Jennifer George, director of policy for St. Charles County about some specifics for the towers.

The St. Peters tower is planned for the St. Charles County Highway Department property at 2480 St. Peters Howell Road. The proposed height for this tower is 400 feet.

Like all of St. Charles County's 12 towers, the St. Peters tower will be of the lattice-style design because of the microwave equipment that must be installed along with the radio equipment. That kind of equipment, George said, doesn't mount very well on a monopole tower.

"If you think of that big old dish on a single stick, the stability of the structure isn’t there," George said.

St. Charles County is not subject to municipal zoning, so the site plan and permitting will not be going through the city's Planning and Zoning Commission.

But some of the county's plans are still up in the air.

"Until we have a finalized system for the entire county we don’t essentially consider any of the sites completely final," George said. "Obviously with the sites we have purchased or that are already county-owned property, we are beginning the process of starting work on those sites."

Along with the proposed 400-foot tower in St. Peters, towers are planned at the Sheriff's Department in O'Fallon (345 feet), at Indian Camp Creek Park north of Wentzville and at 975 Meyer Road in Wentzville.

George corrected a mistake on the the County's website that also lists a separate locations on South Point Prairie Road. That location, she said, is just a mailing address for Indian Camp Creek Park and should not be listed separately.