Jennifer’s plan in brief: Make a coverage solution a priority: review every proposal and option, gather residents’ feedback, put it to a vote, see it built, and equip emergency vehicles with satellite communications.
Why coverage matters
Calling for help. At the July 16, 2024 Council meeting, residents who supported better coverage spoke about 911 calls. At the City’s 2023 open house on cell service, residents named public safety as a major concern because of poor coverage.
Health and family. At that open house, residents described trouble reaching doctors to share important information, the safety problem when parents cannot reach their kids, and calls from elderly parents out of state that don’t come through.
Emergency alerts. The City reminds residents that the Village can see severe weather, flash flooding, and fire risk, and that Arapahoe County’s ArapAlert sends emergency notifications by phone, text, and email.
Working from home. In the City’s 2023 survey, 63% of respondents said they use cellular service to work from home or run a business, and 42% said they experience outages more than an hour a day.
What neighbors are saying
Phones drop in kitchens, on neighborhood streets, and on the trails.
Many who spoke in 2024 wanted better coverage but opposed the plan for 100-foot towers in Woodie Hollow, Three Pond, and City Park. The July 16, 2024 Council meeting drew 36 public comments, the most of any City meeting since 2022.
Neighbors near Woodie Hollow, Huntwick, and Chenango asked for a citizens committee to help weigh sites and designs. At the 2023 open house, one resident suggested the City develop two options and have Council vote on which to pursue.
The facts so far
Poor service in much of the Village. The City’s Citywide Cellular Communications & Fiber Study, finalized in October 2024, found poor coverage across most areas of the City on its coverage maps, matching what residents report. Its speed tests were consistently poor across most carriers.
Park towers. The three 100-foot park towers were never adopted. In June 2024, the Parks, Trails & Recreation Commission voted 5–1 not to recommend the plan. In July 2024, Council dropped a November 2024 ballot measure. In May 2025, staff reported that no action had been taken on the towers, and Council had asked staff to evaluate resident-suggested options such as C-band and satellite.
One option now on the table. On September 15, 2026, staff briefed Council on a plan by Arium Networks (formerly Crown Castle) to convert its existing antenna system to taller small cells with 4G and 5G service for up to three carriers. Arium is under contract with Verizon, is negotiating with T-Mobile, and reports that AT&T has shown interest. The City’s consultant found the coverage projections accurate, with modeled 5G service across 75% to 87% of the City. In 2025, the consultant said this approach would not cover the City evenly, and that parts of the southwest and Glenmoor would remain weak.
Who pays. Staff said that a third carrier would let that project proceed with no City money, and asked Council whether to give private negotiations more time before considering any City funding. In the 2023 survey, 37% of respondents said they would pay higher taxes for better coverage.
Federal limits. Federal law limits how much a city can regulate wireless facilities, and it bars denials based on radio-frequency health concerns when a facility meets FCC limits.
Listen
Build a public dead-zone map from resident reports by street, carrier, and indoors or outdoors. Report a dead zone: https://forms.gle/Z5rxTUhNvNp9asDA7
Gather residents’ feedback on every option through public meetings and a survey, and ask Council to form the residents’ advisory group neighbors requested in 2024.
Inform
Publish every proposal and option side by side: coverage by neighborhood, cost and who pays, timeline, and where any equipment would go.
A quarterly coverage update in the Crier and online until a solution is built.
Act
Make coverage a priority. I will ask Council to put a full review of every proposal and option on its agenda, including the existing-pole upgrade, with a public schedule.
Put it to a vote. Bring the options and residents’ feedback to an open Council vote, so the Village agrees on a solution and then builds it, with public timelines.
No surprise towers. Any new facility proposed in a park or open space should come with mock-ups, notice to every nearby home, and a public hearing before negotiations go further.
A separate track: emergency communications
Emergency vehicles should be equipped with satellite communications so they are always connected and reachable in an emergency. I will ask staff to bring Council options and costs for the police vehicles that serve the Village, and to coordinate with South Metro Fire Rescue. This track runs alongside the coverage decision. It does not replace good coverage at home.
What this means for your street
The coverage a parent needs to reach a teenager on the walk home is the same coverage a neighbor needs to call 911 from the kitchen, reach a doctor, or take a call from family out of state. One solution, chosen in public and actually built, serves every household at once. I will keep every option in the open, ask for your feedback before Council votes, and keep pushing until the Village agrees on a solution and it is built.