On April 24, after more than four years of contract negotiations, commission meetings and the sway of public opinion, the Anna Maria cell tower rose above city hall.
The assembly wasn’t without its own struggles.
The 162-foot tower was originally to be pieced together April 23, but the truck carrying one component, the base needed to begin erecting the tower, was delayed in Lake City by engine troubles.
The celebration would have to wait.
One day later, the base arrived and everything went up. Crewmembers were hoisted more than 150 feet into the air to weld, bolt and screw the sections of the galvanized monolith, the newest addition to the Anna Maria skyline.
With the tower structure in place, all that remains is for the elevated platform, provider antennas and the tower cover to be mounted into place. Everything is set to be finished by mid-May.
The next piece, the elevated platform, will be installed near the end of next week, said Florida Tower Partners president Brett Buggeln.
“We’ll have to install the platform one piece at a time, as it rolls out of the manufacturing plant,” he said. There’s not enough space at Anna Maria City Hall, 10005 Gulf Drive, to store the pieces.
Florida Tower Partners contractor Kevin Barile said April 21 that Verizon was making sure its service antennas were ready for installation. The company was just waiting for the tower.
Once the antennas are up and transmitting, the final piece, the shroud —camouflaged to look like trees found on the island — will be installed.
And then four years of work will be done, and text messaging and cellphone calls on Anna Maria should improve.
A topping off ceremony completes the raising of the 162-foot cellular communications tower in Anna Maria in the city hall parking lot. City hall is behind the crane boom at the bottom of the photo and, as Jack Elka’s drone camera demonstrates, the city and the Gulf of Mexico spread out in the bird’s eye view to the northwest.
The cell tower rising in Anna Maria spanned 3-4 hours and culminated with the display of the America flag and a banner proclaiming the city’s acceptance as a Tree City USA destination.
Barile remembered
Barile, who oversaw the work on the Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach communication towers, died April 21 from complications related to cardiac arrest.
He once remarked that nothing would make him happier than to see the Anna Maria tower go up because it signaled the completion of so much work.
“He’ll be missed,” said Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy. “I first met him when contract negotiations started four years ago.”
Murphy retired some years ago from Verizon, before tower negotiations in Anna Maria began.
Barile’s death will be felt in the communications industry in Florida, he said.
“Kevin was passionate about his work,” said Buggeln. “That’s what we’re going to miss most around here.”
People who interacted with Barile repeatedly said he was one of the nicest guys around, that he always was willing to help when asked.
What is going on with the Anna Maria cell phone tower?