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Ocean Shores board weighs moving KOSW transmitter to central-office tower to cut rent
Summary
Ocean Shores radio board members discussed moving the KOSW transmitter from a leased hilltop tower that costs roughly $3,400 a month to a tower at the central office behind the IGA managed by Vertical Bridge, a change members said could lower monthly rent and create an alternate backup site for city communications.
Ocean Shores radio board members discussed moving the KOSW transmitter from their current leased tower to a tower at the central office behind the IGA that is managed by Vertical Bridge, a change board members said could substantially lower monthly rent and provide an alternate backup location for city communications.
Board member Marty said his initial conversations with the tower manager indicated the company "would allow a 5 year initial term" and that "they typically charge $700 a month" for sites in the station's power class. Marty said those terms make it likely the stationcould reduce site rent to "less than $1,000 a month." He also recommended commissioning a technical feasibility study and a structural engineering review before filing any FCC application.
The discussion matters because the station currently pays what board members described in the meeting as about $3,400 per month for its lease on the hilltop tower. Marty said the boardhas been trying "to lower that expense" and that moving to the IGA/central-office tower could relieve the station and the city of some of that cost pressure.
During the meeting, board members outlined next steps rather than taking a formal vote. They identified three near-term tasks: seek a formal draft lease from Vertical Bridge if the company remains agreeable; hire a broadcast-engineering firm to run a coverage and feasibility study (Marty estimated a study fee in the range of about $500); and order a professional engineer structural study of the candidate tower (board members cited a ballpark of about $2,500 for that study).
Marty warned of an environmental constraint that will delay any physical work: an occupied osprey (raptor) nest on the central-office tower. "With an osprey nest or any raptor nest present on the tower that is occupied... you can't even touch the tower," he said, adding that the nest prevents climbing or equipment work while young remain. He recommended starting the coverage study now so the board will have precise coverage and cost numbers ready when the nest issue clears.
Board members also discussed contractual timing and outstanding obligations at the existing site. One board member said the current lease was signed roughly two years ago and that contract expiration could be in 2027 or 2028, but the exact end date was "not specified" in the meeting. Marty said the city will need to examine the current agreement and coordinate timing so any new FCC filings and equipment moves can dovetail with remaining lease obligations.
The move, if pursued, could also create capacity for the city to colocate other emergency radios at the central-office tower, Marty said. He noted that if the city ultimately sought to acquire the CenturyLink/Quest tower or otherwise secure long-term control of a site, that would change the long-term cost picture, but no such transaction was proposed in the meeting.
No formal motion or vote to pursue relocation was recorded; the board discussed options and agreed to pursue the described studies and further negotiation steps.
