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Ocean Shores radio board begins planning for tower move as lease, site vulnerabilities loom
Summary
Board members discussed looming lease costs at the current tower site, potential new sites including a CenturyLink/Quest tower, regulatory reviews (FAA, FCC, SEPA), estimated costs and timelines, and the need to start planning now to avoid a coverage gap.
Ocean Shores radio board members debated how to replace or relocate the station transmitter after learning the current tower lease will not be sustainable long-term and the city must plan now for alternatives.
Board members said the station faces rising tower rental costs and uncertain availability of the existing site. The board discussed several potential options: negotiate with American Tower, investigate the CenturyLink/Quest tower in town, or build a new tower on city-controlled land. Members noted the station’s long-term finances are not yet sufficient to absorb higher lease costs.
The discussion focused on timing, costs and regulatory steps. Board members described three planning paths: (1) move to an existing tower and possibly raise antenna height, (2) build a new tower on city property, or (3) try to renegotiate or extend the current lease if short-term continuation is available. The board identified key regulatory reviews that will affect any new or modified tower project: Federal Aviation Administration review for height/lighting, Federal Communications Commission rules about contours and interference, and a federal SEPA-style environmental review that can include tribal consultation. Members warned those reviews and permitting can add months to the schedule and recommended starting planning more than a year before any lease expiration.
Board members discussed cost estimates cited in the meeting: structural engineering reviews for an existing tower typically run in the low thousands of dollars, a substantial new tower project could be on the order of a quarter of a million dollars, and current tower rentals were described during the meeting as roughly $40,000 per year. Members also noted operating the station independently could cost roughly “about a hundred grand a year,” a figure raised during the discussion to explain the need for more revenue or reduced rental bills.
Options the board identified included making a minor antenna adjustment to the Public Works Yard tower to gain directional coverage from the backup site, moving farther north on city-controlled real estate to improve in-city coverage, and pursuing negotiations with CenturyLink/Quest about structural capacity or transfer of tower rights. Members discussed the practical impediments to quick action: structural studies, FAA clearance (possible lighting/painting conditions), SEPA tribal review, and the time needed to procure funding.
The board agreed on the need to start planning now rather than waiting until the last year of the lease. No formal vote on a specific site or contract was taken at the meeting.
Members signaled next steps: staff or board volunteers would make initial contacts with tower owners (CenturyLink/Quest, American Tower) and request structural and leasing information, while the board will continue discussion of funding and site options at future meetings.
The meeting also recorded routine housekeeping motions earlier in the agenda: a motion and second to approve the meeting agenda, a motion and second to approve the minutes as presented, and a motion and second to adjourn; no formal roll-call vote tallies were recorded in the transcript.
