By VERNON ROBISON
Moapa Valley Progress
The Moapa Town Advisory Board (MTAB) gave approval in a meeting last week for state-wide electric utility company, NV Energy, to replace a communications tower at the Reid Gardner Power Station site in Moapa.
NV Energy representative Mark Sullivan was in attendance at the meeting and explained to board members that Reid Gardner had long been the site for a microwave communications tower which is part of a state-wide communications network maintained by the company. The network is used for radio communications and to transmit technical data about the company’s complex transmission and generation system, Sullivan said.
At 265 ft high, the existing tower is currently perched atop an existing plant building that has, for many years, been part of the Reid Gardner station, Sullivan explained. But with the plant having been decommissioned earlier this year, and with plans for a full demolition currently underway, there is now need for a new tower to be built to continue that communication function, Sullivan said.
NV Energy plans to continue to maintain and operate a sub-station at the Reid Gardner site. This station will continue to be an important power distribution hub for the company. The new communication tower is proposed to be constructed within the sub-station property, Sullivan said.
The tower would be a stand-alone, self-supporting structure at 240 feet high. Sullivan pointed out that it is expected to have minimal impact on the community as there are no nearby neighbors that would be affected. All of the surrounding land is industrial property, and mostly owned by NV Energy, he said.
“The fact is that the new structure will have much less of a visual impact than what was there before,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan added that the company planned to construct the new tower and have it in operation before the demolition of the old structure took place. The demolition of the old plant is expected to begin in 2018.
MTAB member Lyn Wren voiced the only question from the board about the project. Her concern was about lighting on the tower. Wren observed that some of the newer radio towers in the area had bright white strobe lights which flashed through the night. Others had softer-colored red lights. Wren pointed out that the white strobes were not ideal for residents in the area because of their brightness and because they can be seen for many miles.
Sullivan said that the strobes were designed to be seen for many miles away as a safety measure for aircraft flying in the area.
In a public comment, Moapa Volunteer Fire Station #72 Chief Ron Leachman said that he preferred the greater visibility lights on the towers to keep aircraft safe; especially emergency response helicopters which might respond to emergency calls from the community.
“I’d rather that the pilots can see those towers clearly so we don’t have any accidents out there,” Leachman said.
Sullivan said that the company would be required to adhere to FAA requirements on how the tower is eventually lit. Wren agreed with this, but asked that if any discretion was given that the softer red lights be used for night time hours.
MTAB chairman Ryan Udall made a motion to approve the request. The board passed the motion with a unanimous vote.
