A 215-foot tall cell phone tower in South Bryan could improve 5G coverage for mobile phone users along the coast next spring after Bryan County Commissioners approved a conditional use permit for construction of the tower at their November meeting.
The approval of the request by NexTower Development Group, LLC is a step toward erecting the tower on a small parcel of land inside the Waterways Development. Much of the preliminary work – to include getting approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, as well as input from environmental and safety officials -- has already been done, according to county documents, and construction could begin before the end of the year.
A representative for the developer, John Yates, told commissioners he collected 468 signatures in favor of the tower, a first in his career. The tower will apparently be used by both T-Mobile and Verizon.
The Commissioners’ Nov. 12 meeting, held a day later due to Veterans Day falling on a Tuesday, was shorter than has become the norm, weighing in at less than half an hour.
That included public comment, which at times in recent months has lasted longer than the amount of time devoted to agenda items. Only three residents spoke at the meeting, among them Amy Mitchell, who is among those urging the county to create a historic preservation commission.
Mitchell told commissioners she’s collected 420 signatures on Change.org in favor of creating such a commission, while also noting a survey of historic sites in Bryan County lists 758 such structures or sites in the county.
“That’s a lot more than I thought there would be,” Mitchell said. “For anyone who thinks this isn’t significant in our community, this completely counteracts that.”
Mitchell and other proponents of creating such a board and the ordinances to give it power say there are currently no protections for historic sites in the county – a concern due to the rapid pace of construction in Bryan County.
Bryan County Commission Chairman Carter Infinger told Mitchell the commission discussed the issue at a recent retreat and “it is a process and takes some time, but we are going to start on it.”
Airport disputes arise
Two opponents of a proposed airport in Richmond Hill asked commissioners to make public their stance on the issue.
“You guys need to come forward and speak your minds on this,” said Mary Beasley, an air traffic controller who lives in the county.
Corey Foreman, the head of the local Democratic party and a candidate for the Georgia senate, urged commissioners to “undo” the airport authority – otherwise it will be on a ballot and defeated in a referendum.
“We’re asking you to do your job as elected officials,” he said.
Also during the meeting, Commissioners appointed Chris Barr, Eric Betts, Jeff Glazier and Kimberly Moore to three-year terms on the Bryan County Public Facilities Authority, established in 2019 to finance public facilities such as gyms and fire stations.
MOU on surface water project
Commissioners also signed a memorandum of understanding with Effingham County on joint management of a regional surface water project.
Funded by the state, which in March approved some $501 million for the entire Coastal Georgia Regional Water Project, Phase I includes a pipeline from the Savannah River near Effingham County’s Plant McIntosh to North Bryan, which will pipe it to Hyundai.
Bryan County is getting some $36.7 million in state funding for the project, which is expected to be done at some point in 2028 or 2029, officials say. The plan is to reduce reliance on groundwater from the Floridan aquifer.