On Jun 16, 2007, at 2:27 PM, Christopher Hodgdon wrote: > Up until a few months ago, it was owned by AT&T, then it was bought by > a private individual that is using it mainly for a storage building > and nothing else. > > But, we may be in a posistion to use the tower as our own, or possible > be able to purchase it all. > > We are looking into all of our options.
Get it inspected by a professional inspector and also find out if there's any other "gotchas" in the neighborhood, like neighbors who want it torn down. Just like buying any other commercial real estate. Get a realtor and a lawyer to go over every last detail of the sale. Buying directly into a zoning battle is a common new tower owner's mistake, so I hear. (One of the LL sites out here was purchased by some folks I know, and the neighbor with a $1 million dollar house was nothing but a giant pain in the ass -- complete with stories of the "radiation problems" he was having from the tower when the site power was completely shut off and nothing was transmitting at the site.) Other very important things about LL sites to consider: - If the original lead-acid battery system is still installed, have someone professionally remove it. You don't want to deal with it. At an unmanned site, it's got the potential to be a disaster. - If the diesel generator has an underground tank, find out if the tank has any type of integrity monitoring system and whether or not you're required to keep that system in operation. An underground diesel spill makes you an EPA target. - LIkewise, you might as well find out if the diesel runs, and plan/ budget for its repair, etc. No point in buying a dead diesel generator that hasn't run in a decade. Budget for fuel to exercise it and/or for a new control system if needed. - If the tower is near an airport and has any mandatory lighting requirements, run away. Far away. You'll be finding out real quick what FCC/FAA fines look like if a bulb blows out and you don't have a remote telemetry system on it. They take tower lighting VERY seriously. - Plan on installing an alarm system. These sites are regularly vandalized by idiots. Budget accordingly. - Fencing around the property isn't there just for show... it keeps you from being liable that some jackass climbed your tower and fell off. Budget to keep it in good condition. - Weeds/brush removal... just an ongoing property hassle, but you don't want the next grass fire through the area to burn your new toy barn to the ground or damage it seriously. Those rock covered center areas are there for a reason. Plan on a lot of mowing/weeding/ killing of vegetation in some areas of the country. - Check for signs of critter infestation. You might have quite a battle on your hands to win the place back from the field mice, who will chew through every wire you install, and may have already destroyed a lot of that equipment inside that looks like it's in working condition. - If there's a dirt road to the site, see if it runs across private property. Is there an easement, or has it been unused for long enough that the property owner can effectively block you from access to your nice new site? Many of these sites are "worth it" but you have to think like a businessperson and not like a giddy school kid about your new toy. Is the reward worth the liability risk of owning the tower? Is the property already an EPA cleanup site just waiting for an owner so they can send the "you own it, here's what's leaking" letter? The folks that were buying them out here, typically put three to six months worth of every-other-weekend effort into them to clean them up, get rid of the crap inside that didn't need to be there anymore, install some cabinets and overhead ladder racks, plug 'em up to keep critters out, inspect the tower and fix anything that needed fixing (handrails/safety rails around holes in the "floor" of the platforms, adding Safe-T-Climbs to the ladder(s), etc. They put a LOT of time into a few sites, and sold them for quite a bit more money than they paid for them, after cleaning them up significantly. Since they were engineered as the best "hop" sites for microwaves, many of them truly has beautiful (if not super-high) coverage from the towers. Especially for the local areas around the site. Think about it this way -- there's a reason American Tower didn't spend any money renovating it and built the other tower 2 miles away. Find out why. It's a business, and businesses don't sell things off that are worth something, very often. -- Nate Duehr, WY0X [EMAIL PROTECTED]
