By Junious Smith III

A plan for the largest structure in Kinston still has a way to go.

During the July 15 Kinston City Council meeting, representatives with Verizon approached the board with plans for a 180-foot wireless tower to be built in the rear portion of 104 West Peyton Ave. in the downtown area. The intrigue prompted several business owners and residents close to the area to speak about the tower, mostly looking to garner information.

In the end, the representatives announced they will come back Sept. 16 to give more details about the plan.

“They’re not ready,” Kinston Mayor Don Hardy said. “Once they come back with clearer safety issues and FAA requirements, we’ll be standing by to see. They have to file for air space when you have infrastructure that high and they haven’t put in the request.

“They’ve got a ways to go.”

Kinston City Manager Tony Sears said the talk of the tower provided intrigue, but it was best for a postponement.

“We have a certain harmonious feeling for downtown Kinston and appreciate why people were so curious about this,” Sears said. “There were points brought up by the city attorney about restrictions and I believe there was a sidewalk shown in the fall radius of the tower. There are legitimate questions that need to be asked and requests from Verizon, so a postponement is the right idea for more information.”

The next Kinston City Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 5 at 5:30 p.m.