EVERETT — The Snohomish County Council may have given an AM radio station the formal go-ahead to build two new towers, but not all of the members were on the same wavelength.
The council’s 3-2 vote on Wednesday overturned a hearing examiner’s ruling that the towers would pose an unacceptable health risk. It paves the way for S-R Broadcasting Inc., parent company of KRKO (1380 AM), to start a new station at 1520 AM.
“Our expectation is that we’ll start construction by the end of the summer and that we’ll have it on the air by the end of the year,” said Andy Skotdal, the family-owned station’s president and general manager.
Skotdal declined to discuss the kind of programing it would air.
The proposed 199-foot towers would be similar to three others at the site south of Old Snohomish-Monroe Road and east of Highway 9. A fourth 349-foot-tall antenna went up there this summer.
Neighbors are concerned, pointing to studies that claim low-level radiation from radio towers contributes to serious illnesses, including leukemia.
Appeals and litigation have dragged on for more than a decade. Last year, Hearing Examiner Barbara Dykes ruled in the residents’ favor and denied permission to build the towers.
Acting on an appeal from the station last month, the Council signaled its intention to overturn the examiner. They formalized that decision Wednesday, with councilmen Dave Gossett, John Koster and Brian Sullivan voting “yes” to no votes from Chairman Mike Cooper and Councilman Dave Somers.
Opponents could still appeal in Superior Court. An opposition group president, Lee Bennett Jr. of Citizens to Preserve the Upper Snohomish River Valley, wasn’t ready to say how they expected to proceed. Bob Day, who lives about a mile from the tower site, wondered if any the council members who overturned the decision would feel safe living as close as he does.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465 or nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
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