February 4, 2003

Contact: Heather Baniszewski

Public Information Assistant Director 303-271-8515

County Commissioners Approve Mt. Morrison for Telecommunications and DTV Rezoning

This afternoon, the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners in a 2 to 1 vote approved a rezoning application submitted by Bear Creek Development Corporation (BCDC) and Public Interest Communications (PIC) to build a multi-use telecommunications site on Mount Morrison.

In commenting on the proposal, Board of County Commissioners Chairman Richard Sheehan mentioned, "This proposal reduces the number of towers and lowers RF levels on Lookout Mountain. Second, it provides for future consolidation. Third, it reduces visual blight by being below the ridgeline. And finally, allows for increased monitoring with the improvement of a directional antenna."

"The mantra of this board has always been consolidation, consolidation, and this proposal provides an opportunity for that to happen," said Commissioner Michelle Lawrence. "This is the most creative and innovative tower solution to come before this board in the years I've been a commissioner."

Commissioner Patricia Holloway who cast the dissenting vote commented, "Although I love public broadcasting, I don't feel that this proposal: conformed with the Central Mountains Community Plan, decreased visual blight on the mountain backdrop, that the equipment couldn't have been accommodated outside Jefferson County or that there was a limit to how many dish antennas or entities may be allowed on the tower."

The application submitted by BCDC and PIC was for one tower, which would replace the existing 60-foot Channel 59 tower. The proposal received by Jefferson County included two alternative tower configurations. Alternative "A" proposed a lighted guyed tower with a maximum height of 310 feet while alternative "B" proposed a shorter, yet wider, unlit lattice tower with a maximum height of 135 feet (no more than 60 feet of which would be above the ridgeline). In their majority decision, the Board of County Commissioners granted approval for tower design alternative B. As a result, BCDC must remove alternative A from its proposal and continue the process with only one tower design.

The commissioners continued the hearing until March 11 at 9 a.m. for decision only so the county attorney's office could draft a formal resolution to be adopted based on today's decision.

In a 4-3 vote, the Jefferson County Planning Commission had recommended denial for the BCDC proposal. The commissioners casting the dissenting votes felt that Alternative "B" was a creative solution that sufficiently mitigated the visual impacts. The majority of planning commission members found that neither proposal mitigated the visual impacts enough to be found in compliance with either the Jefferson County Telecommunications Land Use Plan or the Central Mountains Community Plan. And, that the proposal did not comply with the Central Mountain Community Plan as it related to site design criteria.

PIC is a consortium of local public television and radio stations including: Rocky Mountain PBS, Colorado Public Radio and Denver Educational Broadcasting. BCDC is the owner of the current telecommunications site on Mt. Morrison where PIC is proposing to construct the replacement tower. Both tower alternatives in the application would provide space for up to 10 FM stations, antennas for analog and digital television and two-way radio.