KRKO towers would block 8 homes’ views, county says

The years-long battle over the proposed KRKO-AM radio antenna towers comes down to this: Eight residents would have their views obstructed.

At least that’s all the recently released environmental impact statement says. And those people could solve the problem simply by planting some trees, the report adds.

The Snohomish County Planning and Development Department has released a draft environmental impact statement for the proposed site — 40 acres of farmland two miles south of Snohomish. According to the statement, even with KRKO’s design modifications, the antennas still would adversely affect the landscape views of about eight residents on the 1300 block of Kenwanda Drive.

The impact statement suggests residents could use additional trees and other landscaping to screen their view of the proposed antennas.

KRKO officials were happy with the findings, but opponents of the towers are calling the impact statement "incomplete" and are preparing rebuttals.

"I think it confirms what we’ve been saying since 2000," KRKO general manager Andy Skotdal said Friday. "The issue comes down to views."

Skotdal said KRKO has done everything it can to accommodate concerns about the antennas, including reducing heights and wires. The changes in the original plan also have driven up the cost, which at one time was around $3 million. Skotdal wouldn’t comment on the project’s current cost estimate.

One of the project’s main opponents, the grass-roots group Citizens to Preserve the Upper Snohomish River Valley, is working to circulate the study and prepare criticisms.

One of its members, Lee Bennett, said just from skimming through the more than 100-page-document, he can tell it vastly underestimates the impact the radio towers would have on nearby residents and the landscape.

"It’s deficient," Bennett said. "In my community, and I think in similar communities around here, the value of the land is very much appreciated because of mountain and valley views. If you put these intrusive elements in there, that seriously degrades the value of the land."

Neighbors are not just worried about property values and radio antennas obstructing their view of the Snohomish River Valley and distant mountain ranges. They also worry about being in the "saturation zone" of 50,000 watts of radio frequency, which they say could interfere with everything from phone lines to TV speakers.

Many area residents have not yet seen a copy of the environmental impact statement, which is available through the county planning department.

Skotdal maintains the real holdup is not serious environmental implications but a bad case of the not-in-my-backyard syndrome.

"Really, we’re down to doing studies on what a 12-inch-wide object looks like from half a mile away," he said.

The station proposed four antennas near Short School Road — one main antenna 349 feet tall and three others 199 feet tall each. There is also a provision for adding four additional antennas should the station expand.

With the new antennas, the station would increase its coverage to 50,000 watts from 5,000 watts, allowing KRKO to reach the entire county. The thought of more listeners pleases the station’s supporters — everything from nonprofit groups to church organizations — who rely on the station to get information out.

The one thing that KRKO and its opponents agree on is that the static on the issue is far from over. KRKO is prepared for its opponents to attack the environmental impact study, and even for a battle that could reach the state Supreme Court, Skotdal said.

"But for almost four years now, we’ve studied it to death," he added. "I think it’s time that we all start moving forward and get on with our lives."

Bennett said a number of neighbors would challenge the antennas until the end, whenever that may be.

"I think it’s far from over," Bennett said. "It would dramatically change the character of the valley. I do expect that a number of us will be making written comments on this."

Reporter Jennifer Warnick: 425-339-3429 or jwarnick@heraldnet.com.