Remember last Fourth of July in Frisco? My husband and I couldn’t text or call each other on Main Street. You can expect the same issues this weekend for the 26th annual Colorado BBQ Challenge. Any large gathering is a Frisco communications fiasco.
“Service is woefully sad even when we’re not very busy in town,” Frisco director of marketing and communications Vanessa Agee said.
Now, that will be a thing of the past. Be still, my heart.
This week, Verizon’s contractor finally picked up the construction permit the town of Frisco approved in March. The permit allows Verizon to construct three telecommunication arrays on top of the Beaver Frisco Mall at 409 E. Main Street.
“The new cell site will alleviate capacity constraints and improve coverage in downtown Frisco,” Verizon spokesperson Heidi Flato said.
Agee called the news “awesome!”
What took so long? Negotiations. Apparently they still can’t get the horse in the barn. The deal points are done according to Mark Best, a spokesman for LCP Development, the real estate management company. The rooftop lease is still moving through final approval at Verizon. That’s apparently a six-week process. This is about week four, according to Best. Aren’t we glad they’re not in the fast food business.
The new cellphone array going on the rooftop of the Beaver Frisco Mall will be camouflaged by a fabric screen, according to Best. He said the arrays will be “very difficult to see from ground level” on Main Street. That’s “intentional,” Best said.
Cell communications still will be terrible as usual for the Frisco BBQ Challenge this weekend and probably the Frisco Fourth of July parade, as well, but relief is coming soon, very soon.
“Once we have a fully executed lease (hopefully within the next few weeks), I will be able to give you a better idea of construction and on-air timelines,” Flato said. She has better news about the cell tower in northern Silverthorne: It “should be complete and on air within a month or so.”
Yippee! Summit County begins to join the 21st century. Unless, of course, you drive through any of our other local dead zones.
So what if you’ll have trouble communicating with anyone on your phone during the BBQ Challenge this weekend. Take a chance and try talking face to face. You also can rub elbows with more than 70 competitors and vendors set up on Main Street. They’re competing in this very popular Rocky Mountain BBQ Association and Kansas City BBQ Society sanctioned event. Some of the best pitmasters in the country will be there.
See you on Main Street!
Susan Knopf’s column For the Record publishes Fridays in the Summit Daily News. Knopf has worn many hats in her career, including working as an award-winning journalist. Knopf is a certified ski instructor at Loveland Ski Area. She moved to Silverthorne full time in 2013 after vacationing in Summit County since the 1970s. You can reach her at sdnknopf@gmail.com.