Delta has given its two cents worth, and more, to Whatcom County on the continued effort to install radio transmission towers in Point Roberts.
CAO George Harvie recently sent a lengthy letter to the county in response to an appeal by BBC Broadcasting Inc., which wants to overturn a decision by the county hearing examiner who rejected the application. In a surprise move, the examiner this fall rejected the controversial application to erect the five radio transmission towers on an undeveloped lot on McKenzie Way, about 330 metres from the Tsawwassen border.
That decision was issued just days before a public hearing was to convene on the proposal, which county planning staff had recommended for approval. The examiner issued his decision on the basis it does not conform to height requirements.
BBC Broadcasting Inc. did the expected by filing an appeal with the Whatcom County Council.
In response, Harvie outlined a myriad of concerns by both Point Roberts and Tsawwassen residents, urging the county to reject the appeal.
Describing the close linkages between the two communities, Harvie wrote, "There is nothing in this proposal that benefits either community - no jobs, no economic investment and no potential for future economic development; yet there are some potentially very serious detrimental impacts. The community will be encumbered with a high power broadcasting facility which has the very real potential to cause blanketing interference problems.
"In addition, the general public often associates broadcast towers with health effects and other negative impacts which can impact property values. The cumulative effect of all this is a high price for our communities to pay."
Harvie also noted that although the county's planning department acknowledges Tsawwassen's existence, it does little in the way of allaying concerns.
Harvie, who would have spoken at the public hearing, went over some of the concerns regarding blanketing inference, noting Delta hired its own consultant to conduct testing of a radio broadcast tower located in Delta.
The consultant confirmed that the actual level of interference from the proposed Point Roberts towers would not be known until the towers were installed and operational, he stated.
Pleased with Harvie's response, the Cross Border Coalition to Stop the Radio Towers says the examiner's denial does not mean opponents should be complacent.
The group is urging residents to keep the issue front-and-centre as a case is made to the FCC to deny the station's licence renewal. In response to the objections filed against the licence renewal, BBC Broadcasting Inc. filed its own statement that the objections "lack any factual basis and appear to represent a scorched earth 'not in my backyard' reaction from persons living near KRPI's proposed new tower site who seek to derail the proposal at all costs."
