High Winds On Sugarloaf Mountain Collapse Radio Tower
One of three towers on top of Sugarloaf Mountain collapsed Monday afternoon, due to extremely high wind gusts and icing on the structure.
A media release from TDS Telecom confirms the tower fell yesterday afternoon, due to hurricane strength winds. The tower is owned by Somerset Telephone Company d/b/z TDS Telecom and hosts several cellular phone carriers, as well as other third-party communication services.
TDS officials are working on contacting carriers who license facilities on the tower. Because of the wind and extreme cold, repairs on the structure won't begin until conditions improve somewhat. Officials say that could be late Tuesday or Wednesday.
The two-story building under the tower site remains operational, with power and heat, according to data collected from the unmanned site. No one was hurt in the collapse of the tower that also hosts communications connections for the Franklin County Public Service departments. Alternate arrangements have been made to relay those messages until the tower can be replaced.