Woodland Park council approves taller communications tower at Trout Creek Road

Woodland Park’s City Council on July 17 unanimously approved Ordinance 14-98, Series 2025, granting Core Electric Cooperative a special-use permit to replace an existing 63-foot lattice communications tower with a new 120-foot lattice tower (130 feet to the top of appurtenances) at 5955 Trout Creek Road in the city’s agricultural zone.

City planning staff told the council the replacement is intended to restore and improve microwave communications that are increasingly blocked by tree growth since the original tower was built in 1984. CJ Gates, city planning staff, said the taller tower would support Core Electric’s grid communications, two‑way radio for service crews and emergency-use systems used by local public-safety partners. "Staff's recommendation is to approve Ordinance 14-98, Series 2025, as presented," Gates said during the public hearing.

The ordinance was the subject of a public hearing and came to council with a unanimous recommendation from the Planning Commission. The council-approved permit includes conditions requiring: a signed report from a qualified radio‑frequency engineer (already submitted), affidavits holding the owner and applicant responsible for removal of abandoned equipment, permit expiration if the facility is not established within one year or is abandoned for six months, construction documents and a zoning development permit submitted before work begins, a post‑installation compliance report within 45 days, and operational compliance with municipal code and applicable federal standards.

Brooks Kaufman, Lands and Rights-of-Way Manager for Core Electric Cooperative, told the council the existing tower dates to the 1980s and that tree growth has degraded microwave links to substations and remote facilities. "The trees have grown since then. ... it's blocking some of our signal to communicate to our substations and our office here in Woodland Park," Kaufman said. He said the new tower also hosts equipment used by Teller County Sheriff, ambulance services and other local agencies, and will include a camera system useful to wildfire detection efforts.

A 7-foot chain-link fence is planned to surround the tower compound; planning staff said landscaping requirements were waived because the hilltop's mature trees provide natural screening and water for new plantings is not available. The fence must include an anti‑climb measure per the municipal code language adopted in 2024; staff and the applicant discussed non‑razor alternatives and visibility for safety checks.

During public comment, Brent Broadfoot, a Teller County resident, raised concerns about microwave and other radio-frequency emissions and reported health and noise problems he and his wife attribute to nearby broadband equipment. "We are being blasted 24/7 by microwave EMF radiation," Broadfoot said. Council members and staff noted that the city's permit requires compliance with applicable federal radio‑frequency standards and that the operational standards referenced in the permit incorporate federal limits and post‑installation compliance reporting.

Council Member Jeff Gear moved to approve the ordinance and a council member seconded. The council then called the roll; the motion carried unanimously (Gear, Jones, Smith, Case, Nakai, Bryant voting yes). Council members asked for the standard construction and post‑installation reviews to be enforced and confirmed that the property owner and applicant have removal responsibilities for abandoned equipment.

The applicant indicated construction could begin as soon as required permits are issued, with an estimated completion timeline extending to October. The existing tower will be removed after the new structure is operational.

Ordinance 14-98, Series 2025, and the Planning Commission staff report specify that the facility must remain free of debris and graffiti, be maintained in good working condition, and comply with any applicable easements, licenses and federal requirements. The council action authorizes the special-use permit subject to those conditions; failure to meet the conditions or abandonment for six months triggers removal responsibilities and permit expiration.

Council members and staff said they expect the city’s building-permit and inspection process and the required post‑installation compliance report to provide evidence the facility meets operational and RF standards. Core Electric representatives said they will provide the construction documents and coordinate with city staff prior to work commencing.

The approval follows Planning Commission review and a staff analysis that was included in the public packet. The council’s vote was recorded at the July 17 meeting; staff will track the applicant’s zoning development permit and the post‑construction compliance report.