Board of Adjustment Approves West Glacier Cell Tower
A new 'stealth monopine' communications tower is designed to blend into the landscape and increase broadband coverage around West Glacier and Glacier National Park headquarters
By Micah Drew
The Flathead County Board of Adjustment at its Nov. 7 meeting approved a conditional-use permit application for a new cellular communication tower on a 25-acre property in West Glacier.
The application, submitted on behalf of Diamond Towers V, LLC and AT&T, is for a 100-foot tower located between U.S. Highway 2 and the West Glacier RV Park on property owned by Glacier Park Inc. The cell tower will be contained within a fenced off 50-by-50 foot compound and will be a “stealth monopine” design colored brown and green to blend in with the surrounding landscape.
According to the application, the proposed tower will increase AT&T’s voice and broadband coverage in the area, including at Glacier National Park headquarters, and three additional broadband carriers will be able to utilize the tower. The nearest existing communications tower is just over a mile south of the proposed location, and the application states that it is not high enough for AT&T to utilize and provide coverage throughout its intended range.
County zoning regulations in the area limit telecommunication towers to 60 feet, unless a conditional use permit is approved. The Board of Adjustment unanimously approved the application.