A special use permit is being sought to operate a 73-foot-tall wireless communication lattice tower on an approximately 40-acre parcel approximately .25 miles north along North Mammoth Mine Road on State Route 88 north of Apache Junction.

The permit will be discussed at the 9 a.m. July 15 meeting of the Pinal County Planning and Zoning Commission. It will be held at the Pinal County Administrative Complex’s Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, 135 N. Pinal St. in Florence.

Robert Schoose is the owner of Goldfield Ghost Town and Mine Tours Inc. and Steve Olson is the applicant and agent.

The facility will be disguised as a mine headframe to blend with the mining town themed environment, according to a citizen review process notification letter.

“The facility is needed to fill a significant gap in coverage,” according to an application for the permit. “(T)he headframe will have an enclosure at the top which will conceal the antennas and ancillary equipment. Wood slat fencing will conceal the AT&T equipment cabinet and backup generator. The fencing will match existing wall and building colors.

“In addition to providing AT&T wireless services to the general public, the facility will include service for the FirstNet project, which will provide a nationwide public safety broadband wireless network for first responders,” it states.

In 2012, Congress created the FirstNet Authority, which is responsible for building a nationwide public safety broadband wireless network for first responders. The FirstNet Authority awarded a competitive contract to AT&T to build the network for public safety. The website is firstnet.com.

See more on the case at pinalcountyaz.gov/CommunityDevelopment/Planning/Pages/NoticeofHearing.aspx#