Travelers along Highway 21 between Rincon and Springfield will notice a new feature on the skyline.

American Tower, a company that builds and leases space for cellular service providers, has erected a new tower in the Effingham Industrial Park. The new tower will provide space for AT&T to provide cellular service in the area.

John Henry, Effingham County Industrial Development Authority CEO, said that several companies and citizens have approached the IDA about AT&T service levels in the county. Henry contacted and provided documentation to the company, along with maps and demographics, to encourage them to expand their infrastructure and services.

The Effingham County GIS Department also contributed to the effort by working with Henry and AT&T to develop maps and other information to help the company justify the investment expense. Though no dates or specific information on service levels are available as of now, Henry believes that AT&T customers in the area soon will be seeing more bars on their cell phones in the area.

The entire process has taken about one and a half years from preliminary discussions to finalizing a lease of the property within the industrial park. Henry said cellular service ranks right up there with water, sewer and electricity as being critical infrastructure in today’s market.

"This is just one of those rare scenarios where we are able to provide a demanded service to our citizens and businesses while earning a revenue stream at the same time," he said.