A new cell phone tower may be coming to Lake Forest, albeit not in the location suggested by city staff. On Nov. 13, the city’s plan commissioners voted 4-2 to forward a recommendation to the City Council that the city’s zoning code should be amended, thus potentially allowing for construction of a new cell phone tower to be as high as 160 feet. The plan commission suggested the tower should be near the city’s compost center located just south of Route 60, near Waukegan Road. The majority of commissioners did not follow a staff recommendation to allow the building of a new tower close to the Telegraph Road train station near the intersection of Waukegan and Everett Roads. “If I had to pick a location for a tower, I would agree the compost site is the best place to put it,” Commissioner Paul Thomas said. In a separate vote, Commissioner Mark Pasquesi supported the train station location, noting there are six other cell phone towers in the city. “The thought of it scares people but it is part of expanding infrastructure and it has to go somewhere,” Pasquesi said However, no other commissioner joined Pasquesi in endorsing the train station site. In a packed City Hall meeting room, the meeting lasted approximately 3.5 hours as many residents objected to the aesthetics of a new tower, while others spoke of the need for improved service. Former Lake Forest Alderman Ray Buschmann said he was representing the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation arguing against placing the tower close to the train station. “We need to do what we can to minimize the adverse visual effect of any cell tower,” Buschmann said. Resident Antoinette Dalcamo offered a similar sentiment. “It would look like a monstrosity lurking high above the trees and buildings in our business district,” she said. “I’m not against cell towers but I believe we should utilize common sense where we put them.” However, another resident Jennifer Lawson, believed the city needs to improve cell phone service, noting it has impacted her ability to work at home. “We need cell phone signals,” she said. “We do need a solution.” This was the second plan commission meeting focusing on the topic after a request was made for additional information from the staff at the end of the October session. The City Council referred the subject to the plan commission amid concerns regarding the state of cell phone service in the city, particularly the west side. “The impetus was to provide a service that is needed for our community in an adequate capacity and quality,” Community Development Director Catherine Czerniak said. Czerniak noted there are multiple antennas for AT&T and T-Mobile on the city’s water tower, which is close to the compost center. She said Verizon, the third of the big three cellular phone providers, has expressed interest in the site, but the water tower site can not support an additional provider. That leads to the need for a new tower. “The bottom line the water tower is maxed out,” Czerniak said. Czerniak added the city would not be constructing the tower, but instead amending the zoning code permitting a third party company to build the structure on behalf of the providers. She said the city has heard from several tower-building companies but the city has not entered into any agreements. While she said there has been talk for years about different ways to provide cell phone service, that day has yet to arrive, Czerniak noted. “There is no technology that replaces cell towers,” she said. “They are still being built, still being used.” Ultimately, the City Council will have to make the decision whether to change the city code.  The item was listed on the Nov. 18 City Council meeting with an expectation that it would be tabled for as long as 120 days. Czerniak said after the meeting she also expected the City Council to consider engaging a third party to verify the need for additional service and to identify options for providing additional service if needed. Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.