New cell phone tower rising in downtown Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — The white metal frame going up at the corner of W. Broadway Avenue and S. Cedar Street is a new cell phone tower.

In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission from August 2021, New York-based Tillman Infrastructure, which owns the tower, expects the total tower height — including the electronic gear at the top — at 18.3 meters, or just over 60 feet. However, without the receiving and transmitting equipment on top — called “appurtenances” in the FCC registration — the tower height is expected at 13.7 meters, or just under 45 feet.

That’s the height AT&T, which will provide service through the tower, stated in a permit application submitted to and approved by the City of Moses Lake, according to the findings of a hearing examiner from March 2021.

According to city spokesperson Lynne Lynch, city zoning standards for the downtown area allow for buildings up to 100 feet high. However, the tower project did need a conditional use permit because the tower is being built within 500 feet of the lakeshore.

A city building permit issued in May 2021 to Kent-based Mastec Network Solutions notes the tower will have six antennas, 12 remote radio heads and associated ground equipment. According to data available from the Grant County Assessor’s office, the tower is being built on property owned by Mak Hofstetter and will be situated behind R&M Motor Sales at 401 W. Broadway Ave.

Founded in 2017, Tillman Infrastructure has built and operates over 1,000 cell phone towers in the United States alone, according to a press release posted on the company’s web site. Tillman Infrastructure is a subsidiary of Tillman Global Holdings, which operates more than 6,000 cell phone towers in 20 countries.

Tillman Infrastructure did not return requests for comment on the Moses Lake project.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at cfeatherstone@columbiabasinherald.com