Indiana is working on plans to design and build Indiana’s first new inn at a state park in more than seven decades, and Gov. Mike Pence has said the lodge will be paid for solely by the leasing of untapped capacity of more than 300 cell towers on DNR land.
None of that cell capacity has been leased yet, state Budget Director Brian Bailey said.
Bailey said there’s no question that the cell leases can generate more than the state needs to pay for a total of $50 million in projects.
The state has finished an inventory of the cell towers, but it’s still looking for a third party to sell the cell tower space, said Dennis Bassett, director of the Indiana Finance Authority. The IFA is still drafting its master lease agreement.