SAN CLEMENTE : Antenna for Cellular Phones to Be in Park

Cellular phone users in South County can expect better reception later this year when an antenna recently approved by the City Council is installed at a city park.

PacTel Cellular won permission from the council to place a 65-foot-high antenna in San Gorgonio Park. The antenna would replace a 60-foot light pole on a softball field in the park. PacTel will place lights atop its antenna to make up for the lost light tower, according to a report by Bruce Wegner, parks and recreation manager.

Under the agreement, PacTel Cellular will pay the city $7,800 per year in rent, with annual increases based on the consumer price index. In addition, PacTel Cellular will pay half of the city’s $13,000 cost to install a radio-controlled irrigation system at San Gorgonio Park. Terms of the lease are 10 years, with two five-year options.

San Gorgonio park was determined by a PacTel study as the ideal site in South Orange County to boost local cellular phone service.