Limited cell phone service is a problem for elk-loving tourists in one township, and about 200 people who live there.

Now, the Benezette Township supervisors are preparing to adopt a new ordinance regulating cell phone towers.

This action comes even though they aren’t expecting any towers soon.

A supervisor says this is a just-in-case ordinance, proposed by someone who’s been visiting small townships around Pennsylvania.

PSATS, the State Association of Township Supervisors, was here in May with a model ordinance, but no tower companies have followed, supervisor Doug Ruffo said.

“It’s sort of a peaceful place without cell phones, and I certainly have a cell phone. When people come in, that’s the first thing they look and see that they lost their signal,” says Ruffo.

Ruffo says he bought a cell booster for his truck that gets him cell service halfway up Winslow Hill, and got help with a  state police tower so the street crew has two-way-radio.

Otherwise, we found no service in town, and a much stronger signal — sometimes dropping calls — up here at Winslow Hill.

“I tell them that they have to go on top of Winslow Hill and you just have to find the right location and you can use your phone, or if you happen to be by somebody that has a booster box. And you only know that if somebody’s told you,” says Hazelnut Cottage owner Brenda Maholtz.

Andrew Tuttle says he heard about the boosters from a retired trooper a few years ago and got one for work text messages and instant phone calls he can take from the yard.

“It’s like a mini cell-phone tower and it uses your own private DSL to transmit those phone calls back and forth,” says Tuttle.

Another resident says her landline was a lifeline for a tourist who broke his leg last year.

“They had to actually physically ride into town to get help because there’s no cell phone service. For emergencies, it’s really important,” says Donna McKain.

The Elk Country Visitor Center manager says they’ve had a booster since opening in 2010, so cell phones work in or near the building, and staffers use walkie-talkies farther out.

“Of course, we always worry about guest safety, in the event that something would happen. But so far, nothing’s happened,” says Visitor Center operations manager Carla Wehler.

Tuttle says he’s told a phone company they can put a tower near his house.

“They finally said we took a look at your area on the map, and there isn’t anything there,” says Tuttle.

But, residents add there are many elk tourists that visit.

“I was up on my deck counting cars one day and there were over 150 cars in 15 minutes,” says McKain.

Ruffo says the last tower company visit was about three years ago, and gas drilling in the region has also dropped off since then. Meantime, they are set to adopt the ordinance at their September meeting.