Davenport Water Tower Must Come Down Relocating Equipment From Mobile Carriers

After the city of Davenport, Florida learned that their beloved water tower had to come down they had to make a decision regarding the equipment that is being housed on top of the water tower. It was recommended that the tower be torn down as soon as possible, but many members of the community view it as a historic landmark.

T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint have contracts with the city to be on the water tower, so the commissioner has been contemplating what to do with these long term contracts since he learned the water tower must come down. The three companies pay the city a combined total of $56,000 annually.

The city has a few options regarding the equipment from these mobile towers. Greg Parlier of The Ledger reported that, “If AW Solutions was to take on the project, said Executive Vice President Jim Partridge, the company would erect a cell tower, move the equipment over, and have the water tower demolished and removed, all free of charge to the city. AW Solutions would take on all liability for the contracts as well and would release the city of all damages, Partridge said.”

Vice Mayor H.B. Robinson believes that “sounds too good to be true.”

Another option is for the city to construct a monopole themselves. Each cell company has offered the city $75,000 to help build a tower, but they would then have smaller rent payments in the following years.

“Partridge said it would take the city 4.2 years to make its money back if it constructed its own tower and kept its contract with the cell companies,” Parlier reported. The City Attorney, Kirk Warren, has a tentative meeting scheduled with the three cell companies on September 5^th.