The static over KRKO Radio’s proposed transmission towers south of Snohomish remains strong between proponents and opponents.
Citizens to Preserve the Upper Snohomish River Valley, an opposition group, will try to prove next week to the Snohomish County hearing examiner that the project needs to be halted because the environmental impact statement didn’t fully address the aesthetic impacts on the area, said Jeff Massie, the group’s president.
Hearings will start Tuesday and continue for up to four days, he said.
If the hearing examiner dismisses the claims, the county will be in a position to give a conditional use permit to KRKO, said Andy Skotdal, KRKO’s president and general manager. The radio station could start building the towers in summer 2006 near Short School Road.
“It’s very thorough and complete,” Skotdal said of the environmental statement.
The towers, proposed on farmland, include an orange-and-white 349-foot main antenna and three199-foot gray towers.
The towers would affect the views of about 20 homes, but opponents say they would blight the entire skyline of the valley.
However, the towers also allow the radio station to reach a much wider audience.
Skotdal said the radio station has made substantial compromises in the project since 2000. Initially, eight towers were proposed.
“We’ve changed the project twice for them,” he said of opponents.
The opposing group has spent about $65,000 fighting the project, and will continue to do so, Massie said. “There’s not a whole lot of room for compromise,” he added.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
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