HARRISVILLE — The Harrisville water tower will be the site of a beta test for a Verizon cell phone repeater, potentially improving cell phone service in the city.

Mayor John Dobis discussed the project Monday during a Harrisville City Council meeting.

Dobis and others have been working since last year to get expanded cell phone coverage from a number of carriers in the city.

The city was prompted by the Harrisville Business Association to try to find a way to improve service in the community for residents and businesses.

Dobis said after extensive talks with Verizon, the company approached city officials with a plan to use the water tower as site for a beta test of a cell phone signal repeater.

He said he is authorizing the company to access the tower to install the repeater and the company will lease the space for $1 for use of the site.

Dobis said previously he was in talks with the company to lease a piece of city property to erect a cell tower. Use of the water tower was suggested previously by the city. Dobis said a repeater was different from a tower, however.

“We’re allowing them to use our tower to find out if repeaters will handle it or we need something stronger,” Dobis said. “It may last a year; I don’t know how long the test is but as soon as it is determined whether it is a long-term fix, we’ll renegotiate a contract where it would be on the better side of the community.”

Dobis said there was no guarantee the repeater would solve the service issues for Verizon customers.

He said he originally got in contact with the company through Harrisville resident Doug Cheek, who has helped a lot. Dobis said at this point the city needed to negotiate with the company.

Cheek said it was a good opportunity for Harrisville.

“(Verizon is) being very, very generous with us,” Cheek said. “They brought in over half a dozen of their suppliers to find technology to work, but we don’t want to get our expectations up too high.”

Cheek said with new data-heavy cell phone plans many of the existing towers are no longer able to handle data traffic.

“They’re going to build new super towers and we may be right in line for something like that,” he said.

Cheek said before the new repeater will be installed there is a regulatory process that must be conducted, he said it could take as many as 100 days for the process.

Another aspect of the project, according to Cheek, is that Verizon will be giving up to 10 businesses wireless hot spot boxes so there will be improved cell service inside the business areas.

“I am going to spot them around town if a business wants to use them,” Cheek said. “It’s a low-power solution. So we’re in a two-pronged beta test right now.”

Jason Ogden can be reached via email at jogden@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5693. Follow Jason on Twitter @jo_alpenanews.