The Cumberland County Board of Supervisors approved a conditional use permit that could bring a new cellular tower to Cumberland County.

The public hearing and vote was held during the board’s Jan. 8 meeting.

The 280-foot self-support tower would be located at 86 Salem Church Road, at the intersection of Salem Church Road and Route 45. The tower, according to the application, would be established on 0.057 acres of an 82.05-acre parcel. The applicant is Precision Cell, LLC.

The tower would be situated on a 50-foot by 50-foot square and be surrounded by a seven-foot fence, and be accessed by a 375-foot access road.

The cell tower could support up to four wireless carriers.

Shentel, doing business as (dba) Sprint, would be the anchor tenant. The tower would be constructed to allow for three additional national wireless providers to co-locate on the tower.

No members of the public spoke during the hearing.

Precision Cell, LLC worked in the Town of Farmville earlier in 2018, installing cell service antennas at the top of the water tower located at Andrews Drive.

Vice Chair and District Five Supervisor Parker Wheeler asked if Shentel and Sprint have confirmed their contribution to the tower.

Precision Cell representative Robert McAvoy, who attended the meeting, said they have delivered a letter of intent in relation to the tower, but Shentel and Precision Cell did not have a lease at the time of the meeting. Construction would begin after the lease is finalized, McAvoy said.

McAvoy said Shentel is the company that directed him to consider the area for the cell tower.

During the meeting, McAvoy said he has submitted information about the tower site to wireless carriers Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile for their consideration. McAvoy noted that the tower site is located in an area considered between Route 60 and the Town of Farmville.

“Both AT&T and Verizon have indicated that it is an area where they know they have a coverage issue, and they are interested in the site,” McAvoy said. “It’s not a part of their 2019 priorities, but certainly something that they are very interested in.”

“Coverage is very poor for all carriers,” McAvoy said. “I believe that this is ultimately a very good site for the community and for wireless carriers.”

District Three Supervisor Kevin Ingle asked whether the tower has the capacity to strengthen coverage to emergency services.

“As the cellphone coverage is bad in that area, so is the emergency services communication,” Ingle said.

McAvoy said the company and the county can work together to make an arrangement.