Deal Would Expand Cell Coverage At Concord Pavilion

CONCORD, CA — An agreement to beef up cellphone coverage at the Concord Pavilion performance venue, and for a settlement payment for an existing but never approved cell antenna, will be considered Tuesday by the Concord City Council.

Several companies already operate cellular communications equipment at the Concord Pavilion. But a city staff report says peak demand during a performance or event at the Pavilion can tax the current systems, and that there's room for installation of more capacity. The report says the new Verizon system would help ensure sufficient service access to maintain "a high-quality experience for Pavilion customers, partners and performers."

The five-year agreement calls for a base annual rent to the city of Concord of $27,600. The rent would increase slightly each year, and the agreement could also be extended up to 15 more years, thus making total payments over 20 years more than $741,000.

Also part of the agreement is city approval of an existing telecommunications rooftop repeater antenna already in operation at the Pavilion. The license settlement agreement calls for Verizon to pay the city $250,000 in compensation for that antenna, which the city believes was installed in 2005. The $250,000 is what 13 to 14 years of rent payments may reasonably have totaled had they been collected from Verizon, according to the staff report.

Tuesday night's council meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Concord City Hall, 1950 Parkside Drive.

By Bay City News Service

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