Business View Civil & Municipal Apr-2023

100 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4 “But, we’ve also seen the need to improve on that infrastructure and we’ve been taking a three-pronged approach,” he continues. “One is actively contacting the major telecommunications carriers we have in the community and talking about what they have in their plans and how we can help support that and/or speed it up. Another is to look at our regulations as they relate to telecommunication facilities and see how we can streamline them and bring them into today’s demands. Many of our rules regarding cell towers and similar infrastructure were written at a time when maybe only every other person had a cell phone; now each individual has two or three wireless devices and kids as young as six to eight have their own phones, whereas that was unheard of ten years ago. “The third approach: we’ve looked at where the major infrastructure, the towers in particular, are, and we’ve identified some of our own properties where we think towers might be conceivable. We’re working with Arcadia Towers out of Cleveland, Ohio to market those to the telecommunication carriers to see if they have an interest in enhancing the service that we have. We do know we have certain areas that have either poor coverage or almost no coverage. So, it’s not only a quality of life issue, but a public safety one, as well.” Another ongoing initiative in Wellington is the Town Center Project, a years-long redevelopment, originally created as a gathering place that houses the Village Hall, a community center, an amphitheater, a playground, and an aquatics complex located on the south end of Lake Wellington. “Recent investments have included adding a boardwalk – a promenade along the lakefront which has enhanced our community events and offerings, which include a lakeside market, concerts and movies, an annual craft beer fair, and a bourbon and bacon fest,” Barnes reveals.