Special exception to build a cell tower

An Oconee County regulatory board voted 4-1 tonight to grant a special exception and allow a major communications company to build a 250 foot tower in a rural area of the county where residents take pride in the natural beauty.  The tower is to be built on Mountain Rest private property in the vicinity of the highway 107 tie-in with South Carolina 28 and sit 266 feet from the roadway.  In their consideration, board members tried to find a balance between the need of providing 21st century communications technology to cover pockets of dead cell service with the need to maintain an area as pleasing to the eye as possible.  They received divided opinion from members of the public, including that from the father of a woman who last year went missing in the area and was later found dead.  Enhancing public safety response with better communications was a reason that an AT-and-T representative stressed in building the tower.  We’ll have further details on this story on the 101.7/WGOG NEWS tomorrow.