Ottawa County pledges to fix light on communications tower

PORT CLINTON — The blinking light on Ottawa County's big communications tower, more than two football fields tall, is on the blink.The tower is supposed to have a regularly blinking light to keep the tower from being hit by aircraft. It works, but it's too bright, and it's blinking too rapidly. It's become annoying for people who live nearby.Officials at the office of the Ottawa County Sanitary Engineer said they are aware of the problem and are working to get the light fixed as soon as they can. Unfortunately, the work requires federal government approval and the federal government shutdown may cause a delay.The communications tower, 650-feet-tall, is behind Ottawa County's Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, 1405 West Fremont Road, Port Clinton. The county noticed there was something wrong with the light on Nov. 16.Once an FM radio station antenna, the tower is now the property of the Ottawa County Commissioners. Seeking a site for the treatment plant, commissioners bought it, and the 19.7 acres it sits on, in 1994.The tower pulls in revenues of $56,000 a year from various customers who need to use the communications tower, such as telecommunications companies, state agencies and federal agencies, said Steve Lange, an engineer in the sanitary engineer's office. The $23,700 cost of replacing the lighting system will come out of that, Lange said.A contractor to install the new lighting system has been selected, and the new lights will be put in as soon as the Federal Aviation Administration, which must approve the paperwork, approves the county's application.The county turned in its application in early December and hoped to obtain approval by the end of January. Unfortunately, with the federal government shutdown, there's no one in the FAA office to handle the application, so approval may be delayed.Gino Monaco, administrator for the sanitary engineer, lives near the tower."We've got some complaints from people who live here, including myself," Monaco. "It's annoying to me also."The director of Erie-Ottawa International Airport, Stan Gebhardt, has been told about the situation.Ottawa County's communications tower is an impressive structure, but it needs a new lighting system.