Radio tower decision leaves questions unanswered

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News

Larimer County's decision to shelve review of a proposed radio tower on Middle Bald Mountain southwest of Red Feather Lakes leaves a gnawing unanswered question: Would its benefits be worth the cost?

By stopping the project before the U.S. Forest Service completed an environmental assessment, the county commissioners also halted Forest Service plans to hire a consultant to do a scientifically rigorous radio frequency study at an estimated cost of $9,000.

Carol Kruse, the Forest Service's project director for reviewing the proposal, said the county had some on-the-ground data, but it did not adequately simulate a real facility and document signal strength. In particular, the county was hoping a Middle Bald tower would improve radio communications for emergency services in Poudre Canyon.

When the commissioners in late July decided they needed to divert the money set aside for review and construction of the radio tower, the county had already spent $226,000 and could have been billed another $200,000 to complete the review at the level of an environmental impact statement.

Because Middle Bald Mountain is in a national forest, the Forest Service is charged with doing the assessment and eventually deciding whether to let the county build there. The county, however, has to pay the bill for both the Forest Service and private consultants to do the necessary studies.

Without a final decision from the forest supervisor, Larimer County officials also could not predict what construction would cost if the site were approved. While the tower facility itself could cost around $1.1 million, the Forest Service might have required the county to bury the powerline up to 15 miles, depending on the approved route. That could have added about $3.2 million in costs.

"We don't have the money to answer the question whether this is the best place or not," Commissioner Kathay Rennels said at a July 29 work session. "I'll let somebody else fight this fight sometime."

Since the beginning of the year, commissioners and administrative staff have been focusing on ways to balance the 2009 budget without cutting too deeply into emergency reserve funds.

"Economic reality is something we can't ignore," said Commissioner Randy Eubanks, who then recommended diverting some of the Middle Bald allocation to upgrading radios for the sheriff's office.

From the $1.4 million available after stopping the project, the commissioners agreed to allocate $400,000 to the sheriff's department. The money will largely be spent on 800 MHz radios, which will improve communications within the department and with other agencies.

Some staff members suggested the county at least complete the environmental review and get a decision from the forest supervisor, rather than having to start over at a later date. Kruse said in a later interview that some of the assessment work done to date could be reusable for three to five years.

It is unlikely, however, that the county will want to spend money on a new radio tower in that time frame. According to County Manager Frank Lancaster, "It's definitely not a front-burner project."

"I think the coverage we have up there is the coverage we're going to have," he said.

Lancaster said he doubted any funds would be available in the "foreseeable future," which he then defined as 10 years.

Public perception

Northern Larimer County residents have expressed opposite views on the tower. Community groups in Poudre Canyon supported the project. Those questioning its cost and usefulness, however, said they found themselves ignored until Randy Eubanks was appointed to the county commission last year.

"He really took time to ask the questions," Red Feather Lakes resident Ben Myers said in a recent interview. "He didn't dismiss us as environmental nuts who were concerned about the view."

Myers had many criticisms of the way county staff responded when citizens challenged the push for a tower on Middle Bald. In several instances, citizens had to turn to the Colorado Open Records Act to get the county to release information.

"A lot of evangelizing of this project was based on anecdotes and tragedies that had nothing to do with Middle Bald," Myers said.

A reliable on-the-ground test should have been done before naming Middle Bald as the only alternative that would work, he added.

At several meetings this past year, county staff noted that Middle Bald was their third choice. The Forest Service would not even review the county's first two suggestions because they are located in inventoried roadless areas.

More radios

The county's decision to buy more 800 MHz radios came at a good time because the Democratic National Convention will be selling slightly used portable radios at a discount, saving the county $33,750 on 75 radios. Regular price per radio for this model is $2,832 each. The county also plans to buy 60 mid-grade mobile radios at $3,300 each.

Radio systems administrator Dave Rowe said the county hopes to receive a Homeland Security grant to provide an additional 10 mobile radios for the natural resources department.

In addition, the commissioners' recent allocation will fund some internal radio communications improvements at the detention center and the justice center.

Rowe is also working to enhance 800 MHz coverage from the existing Deadman tower near Red Feather Lakes with a repeater.

While the county was undergoing Forest Service review of Middle Bald, it was building a new tower on private land in Bear Gulch. That tower went on the air in August and is now being tested. It's located at a commercial FM site above Crystal Lakes. Rowe said its 800 MHz signal is providing better coverage for Cherokee Park and along the Main Street of Red Feather Lakes.

Poudre Canyon

County officials interviewed in August had no plans to pursue other alternatives for radio coverage in Poudre Canyon at this time.

It has been suggested that Poudre Canyon could be covered with a series of five towers. Rowe said a typical tower site would cost about $500,000 to build, but that would not include any of the costs for environmental review, roads and powerlines