The Clutha District Council is calling for the community to help with the installation of a new cellphone tower in the Catlins.
Last month, Vodafone announced Tourism Catlins's applications to the Vodafone Community Cell Site Request Scheme for two cellphone tower sites in the Catlins had been successful, meaning towers would be installed at the northern end (in Clutha) and southern end (in Southland).
Construction of the north Catlins community site is dependent upon construction of the scheduled rural broadband initiative (RBI) site in Owaka.
The Clutha District Development Board will provide up to $3000 towards the installation of a new cell tower near Papatowai, and is now seeking contributions from the community to help with preparation works.
Council district development manager Jill Borland said the community tower scheme also depended on support from the council and the local community to enable installation costs to be minimised. Community towers are constructed using recycled materials from other Vodafone towers which have been upgraded.
The priority for the northern Catlins site is to provide coverage to the Papatowai township and surrounding stretch of the Southern Scenic Route - a key tourism route, and also to part of the Tahakopa Valley.
Earlier this month, the Clutha District Council supplied radios and arranged for a helicopter to support Vodafone's initial site inspections of the northern Catlins cell site.
Last week, the district development board endorsed the $1000 spent on helicopter services to scope potential sites, and agreed to provide up to $3000 for other expenses related to the installation of the northern Catlins tower.
Ms Borland said Vodafone would carry out all of the technical processes in regards to installation and getting the site activated.
However, she said there were other ways the community could help with civil works during the building phase, including supplying machinery or creating community working parties to assist with scrub clearing or digging.
The northern Catlins cell-tower site was expected to be constructed late this year, at the same time as construction of the Owaka rural broadband initiative cell site.
The new Catlins community cell sites will initially provide only mobile coverage but will become part of Vodafone's upgrade planning cycle and future development could enable broadband service.
