By David Fleet
Editor
Atlas Twp.-By a 5-0 vote on Dec. 18, the township board of trustees OK’d a request for a conditional use permit for a cell tower constructed on private property by Skyway Towers, LLC.
The new 180 foot mono tower will be located on 9046 S. Irish Road, property owned by the Grand Blanc Huntsman’s Club. The vote to approve the conditional use permit comes after the township planning commission on Nov. 15, voted 7-0 to recommend the construction to the board of trustees.
“The I-75 Corridor is a very busy place,” said Rick Misek, planning commission director. “The equipment Verizon currently uses does not have the capacity to handle the thruput needed to curb the dropped calls. Today customers want to stream movies to their wrist watch, cell phones and laptops. The demand is there— a lot of America is scrambling right now to make it happen. This won’t be the last antenna request in the township either.
The antenna will be used to off load data through fiberoptics. The driving force behind the additional tower will be to move from 4G to 5G service.

“The need for the tower is also due to the size of the antenna which is just under 5,000 pounds—it’s massive,” he said. “The tower is also designed to be utilized for other (communication) carriers to put up antennas.”
The additional tower is necessary say Skyway Towers officials to improve communications in the township in a discrete location surrounded by woodlands and provide additional co-location opportunities for other wireless provides without the need for more towers. Skyway towers currently has more than 480 towers nationwide and the new equipment is necessary due to the growing demand for wireless service in the area as land line needs diminish. While the tower will be used for Verzion, letters to co-locate have been sent to AT&T, T-Mobil and Sprint PCS.
“It’s really a win-win all around,” he said. “When the Huntsman’s Club came on the radar for the new tower it became a good fit since no one can see it except the club members. The location is very covert and the funds generated will go toward a long-standing business in the community.”
The Grand Blanc Huntsman’s Club was founded in 1957 and is located on 80 acres in the township. The club offers trap, skeet, 5-Stand and sporting clays shooting. In addition, there is a members only rifle and handgun range, a stocked fishing pond for members, hiking and hunting dog training areas. There are about 480 members of the club.
Dale Statson has been a life time member of the club, past president and current marketing director.
“We were contacted by Skyway in January 2017,” said Statson. “We have a 25 year renewable lease for the tower and they will break ground for the project sometime in March 2018. The construction will take about a month before it’s up and going.”
With the proceeds from the cell tower lease there will be several capital improvements to the Huntsman Club.
“We have about 120 youth from Goodrich, Grand Blanc, Burton and Davison schools participate in the Scholastic Clay Target Program each year,” he said. “In addition, we host the Bust ’em for Breast Cancer and the Badge Holders Sporting Clay events. The funds from the tower will go along ways in helping the club give back to the community in a variety of ways.”