Challenge

TEP personnel performed a cultural resources assessment for a proposed rooftop collocation on a historic school which contributes to a listed National Register of Historic Places Historic District. The proposed collocation involved the replacement of a stealth chimney (containing 3 existing antennas) in order to mount three additional antennas on top of the building’s chimney. In order to contain all six of the antennas within stealth concealment, the replacement stealth shroud had to be slightly wider than the existing chimney, expanding the width by 6-inches. The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) provided an initial response of Adverse Effect for the proposed project due to the increase in width, stating the project would not be “compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features” of the existing building.

Result

TEP continued correspondence with SHPO to discuss the concerns associated with the proposed action, including: providing photos of the existing chimney along with photo simulations of the proposed stealth concealment, discussion of how the replacement stealth would blend to the building’s façade more efficiently than the existing stealth, and a discussion of how the proposed stealth concealment would minimize the direct impact to the building and visual impact to the surrounding area, as opposed to other collocation options. The additional SHPO correspondence resulted in a No Adverse Effect determination for the proposed collocation site, allowing the project to proceed.