Memorandum

City of Lawrence

City Attorney’s Office

 

TO:

David L. Corliss, City Manager

 

FROM:

R. Scott Wagner, Management Analyst

Philip Ciesielski, Assistant Director of Utilities

 

CC:

Toni Ramirez Wheeler, Director

 

Date:

August 14, 2013

 

RE:

Stoneridge Water Tower Site

 

 

The above site, approximately 3.3 acres, located at 555 Stoneridge Drive at the Northwest corner of West 6th Street and Stoneridge Drive (see attached map), was purchased by the City of Lawrence in August of 1991.  It was acquired for use as a future water tower location.  The acquisition deed contained some restrictive covenants governing future use of the land.  These included limitations on the height of future water storage tanks, capacity, exterior lighting, etc.  A deed restriction also prohibited any antennas on the property, except for antennas used for public utilities and emergency services.  The restrictions were set to expire twenty years from the date the deed was executed.  In September, 2006, an agreement for release of the covenant pertaining to the height and the capacity of the water tower was executed.  The release allowed for the remaining covenants to expire on July 31, 2011.

 

Additional history of the property includes the following events:

 

The attached chart details other City of Lawrence water tower and cellular antenna sites and the rent amounts the City is receiving from cellular companies (cellular leases).  The attached map shows locations of water towers, cellular and other antennas in the City.  The 6th and Stoneridge location appears to be a prime area for co-location (tower map) and is near the Rock Chalk Park development (see attached aerial photos).

 

The site is currently improved with a City of Lawrence elevated water tower that is approximately 120 feet in height with a capacity of 1.5 million gallons.  The tower was site planned and designed for future cellular co-location.  It is zoned GPI which allows for cellular antenna use and siting with the filing of a site plan.  The City of Lawrence Development Code encourages co-location of structures for such use, see §20-529. The Stoneridge tank is a composite (steel bowl with concrete support pedestal) designed by Black & Veatch and constructed by Landmark Structures.  The tank site has been laid out to allow for the location of some cellular support buildings within the existing fence north of the tank.  In the interest of site aesthetics all conduit and cable routing from the support building to the tank pedestal are to be below ground.  The tank pedestal is fitted with 24 each 6” diameter conduits preinstalled through the pedestal floor and foundation wall.  These are generally located along the west wall of the pedestal and are terminated and capped below grade outside the pedestal foundation wall, and interior above the pedestal floor.  At each conduit location attachment hardware has been preinstalled on the interior concrete wall from the floor to the top of the concrete pedestal for the purpose cable routing.  Similar attachment hardware has also been preinstalled around the interior diameter at the top of the concrete pedestal.  Co-located cellular antennas are to be affixed to the exterior of the concrete pedestal.  No provisions have been made for the routing of cable through the bowl or roof ladder access tube for the purpose of roof top antenna installation.  Responses to the RFP must be designed to minimize the disturbance to Department of Utilities operations and be congruent with the above tank design for cellular co-location.

 

The below photo from the Landmark website, details the typical appearance of cellular pods on their elevated tanks.

 

Rectangular Callout: Cellular pods

 

RFP for Wireless Co-location

Authorization is requested to send out the attached request for proposals (RFP) for wireless communication equipment co-location at the Stoneridge water tower site.  Responses to the RFP will be due October 15, 2013.