BROOKINGS — A new, 171-foot telecom tower received its formal approval during the June 11 meeting of the Brookings City Council.

The tower, which will be built just north of Tropical Smoothie Café and west of McDonald’s at 1461 Sixth St., will be the new home for telecommunications equipment that is currently attached to the old, empty water town on Sixth Street. Construction is expected to begin Aug. 1, with work wrapping up two to three months later. The water tower is expected to come down no later than fall 2025.

Councilors OK’s the proposal, formally known as Ordinance 24-019, on a 7-0 vote. “(I’m) looking forward to the big water tower coming down eventually,” Mayor Oepke “Ope” Niemeyer said afterward.

In other business last week:

• On a 6-0 vote, with Councilor Nick Wendell abstaining, councilors once again approved Wendell to the deputy mayor position.
• Approved, on a 7-0 vote, a medical cannabis license for Genesis Farms LLC. Their dispensary will be at 2035 Orchard Drive, Suite No. 5. Per a city memo, an inspection of the facility will be necessary prior to opening and after remodeling.
• Heard public concerns and asked questions regarding a pair of new proposed apartment complexes — one on the south side of Sixth Street between 12^th and 13^th avenues, and the other on the east side of Campanile Avenue, just south of Seventh Street.

Concerns and questions focused primarily on parking, water drainage and a pedestrian crossing. In the end, all three measures being considered — formally known as ID 24-0295 (commercial corridor design review overlay district site plan), Ordinance 24-017 (rezoning) and ID 24-0296 (initial development plan for Campanile Flats) — were approved on 7-0 votes.

— Contact Mondell Keck at mkeck@brookingsregister.com.