The Fayette

County Commission last week said no to a request to increase the height

of a cellphone tower.

Lee Wright

had asked the board to let him raise the height on a tower from 170 feet

to 188 feet on his property at 249 Chappell Rd. to allow for better communication

capabilities for the southside of the county.

Wright runs

his own business and said phone problems plague his business once he gets

near his home.

the size of his tower, Wright said the board could stop a proliferation

of towers that could spring up to better serve phone users on the southside.

Wright had

several neighbors who attended the hearing and supported the move, while

three residents stood in opposition to the plan.

Nancy Hubbard,

who lives on Lynn Drive, spoke for the opposition.

"Most

of us have been in the area for 30 years. Why can't they put a tower around

Lake Horton?" she asked.

Commissioner

A.G. VanLandingham said he could not support the request because the county's

staff had worked extremely hard on the tower ordinance and did not want

to see it weakened.

Chairman Greg

Dunn agreed the staff had worked hard on the ordinance, but explained

the staff recommended raising the height of the tower.

"I don't

see 18 feet as a big deal," Dunn said.

County attorney

Bill McNally told the board the county was in the process of getting its

five towers built for the new 911 system that should come online in the

next 18 months.

The attorney

added the towers should be finished within 90 days, and companies would

then have an opportunity to locate on the tower sites.

When it came

time for the vote, VanLandingham and Commissioner Linda Wells voted against

extending the height, while Dunn and Commissioner Herb Frady supported

the motion.

Since the vote

ended in a tie, the request was denied.