Verizon outage still inconveniencing Forsyth Road businesses and motorists

More than a month after a cell tower was knocked down, residents are still frustrated by spotty service around Vineville Avenue and Forsyth Road with no finish line on repairs in sight.

A storm took out a Verizon cell tower off Charter Boulevard in late May near the Piedmont Macon North hospital. 

A portable, vehicle-mounted cellular tower now sits in the hospital’s parking lot, meant to ensure consistent service around the area where the tower once stood, according to a Verizon spokesperson.

But some people working at the Rivoli Crossing shopping center have said their coverage is still spotty. Kailee Rowland, studio manager at Orange Theory, described it as a “hole” in service that stretches down Forsyth.

A lot of the members who work out at the studio ask to get onto the WiFi because they don’t have service, she said, adding that her weekly meetings over Facetime sometimes drop because of poor cell reception.

Emily Turner works at the beem Light Sauna in the shopping center. She said it’s hard to make calls when not on the WiFi in the office. Her coworker, Taylor Braswell, said she can’t get service heading toward Wesleyan College or further north near Tattnall Square Academy. 

Verizon said it is working with the landowner on the site of the tower to make repairs. A  taller tower should improve coverage, the Verizon spokesperson said. It’s the site owner, not Verizon, who is responsible for completing the work, the spokesperson said.

The lot is owned by the hospital. 

“As they are still finalizing their plans, a definitive timeline for the permanent tower replacement has not been established yet. We are in ongoing communication with them,” the spokesperson said.