History of Lookout Mountain Antenna Tower Land

Citizens Lose Fight Against Channel 2 Expansion

Jeffco Approves Change for the Tribune Corporation Tower

November 30, 1990: JeffCo approves change for the Tribune Corporation tower labeled as a “replacement”
of the FAA Quonset hut and tower. Tribune begins construction during public hearings. City of Denver and JeffCo
Open Space staff recommended denial because it is clearly an expansion, not a replacement. After approval by
County Commissioners Bunny Clement, Ferdinandsen, and John Stone in 1991, Tribune dramatically expanded
radiation by renting tower space to KCEC-TV-50, KBPI-FM, KALC-FM, K57BT, and K43BK. Impact on adjacent
historic sites— Lookout Mountain Park, Buffalo Bill’s Grave, and Scenic and Historic Lariat Trail—listed on
the National Register of Historic Places on May 18, 1990, is ignored.

Panorama resident Karin Bull vividly recalls the
hearings to expand the site. “I brought Maelma Main
to a Board of County Commissioner hearing. I thought
they needed to meet a resident who had lost her
husband to the excessive proliferation of antennas.
Commissioner Rich Ferdinandsen belittled her about
‘living with all those microwaves’ then proceeded
to fall asleep as she spoke.

“When CARE engineers recently exposed the fact that
these areas have been out of compliance with
national standards since 1992, I was not surprised
that KCFR-FM called Rich Ferdinandsen to bail them
out,” Bull said. “JeffCo Commissioners have ignored
the problem or were paid off with nice publicity. This
is a dangerous situation, effecting more than a few
families near the towers. High tech businesses in
Golden are harmed by the present RF intensity.
Nobody believes that more RF signals will cause less
interference. It’s time to stop following the money.”

August 1990 While Tribune corporation begins
construction for proposed expansion, JeffCo planner
Doug Reed, wrote: “None of the towers, antennas
equipment or structures other than the 1979
building have been reviewed or approved by
Special Use… this proposal does not introduce any
additional towers or antenna on the site.” Jefferson
County expressly understood that there would be no
changes in transmission, no increase of interference
or RF radiation. Staff was so certain of this that they
did not apply the demand policies of the TLUP on
health, interference and property values to the
evaluation of this rezoning. In fact, Jefferson County
expressly required KWGN to provide notification of
any expansion of use.

KWGN did not inform Jefferson County or the public
that it would be using this expansion of the building
for purposes that would increase the amount of the
radiation.

JeffCo finally adopts antenna tower resolutions in 1993

The FCC had no legal NIER emission limitations then and he didn’t
want JeffCo to adopt any either,” she said. “In 1992, we (she &
county officials) didn’t know that the ANSI Standard is reduced to 20%
of the 1982 Standard. Ragonetti must have known. I had to get
support from low-power users to get the Standard adopted in
exchange for supporting them with unlimited additions of devices.”

JeffCo Planning Commission approved the policy revision and
Commissioners Miller, Laura, and Stone adopted “legal non-
conforming” and Planned Development Regulations for “towers” on
May 11, 1993. Changes prohibit adding new antennas when
non-ionizing radio frequency radiation levels (NIER or RF) as
measured under Section 21.2.a. would be exceeded and to even
further limit nonconforming uses.

 JeffCo won a State Court of Appeals case in 1992 (against
Mountain Contours for the same land now proposed for a
Supertower by Lake Cedar Group), based on the 1985 adopted
TLUP “policies.”

Citizens are wary of potential impact of the 1996 National TelCom Act

After JeffCo approves the addition of KKHK-FM to the low KOSI-FM tower on Cedar Lake Rd (without hearings) in
August, 1995, Canyon Area Residents for the Environment (CARE is a consortium of 3,000 Genesee and Lookout
families; population 9,000), asks the JeffCo Health Department for an RF radiation survey on December 28,
1995.

President Clinton signs the TelCom Act on February 8, 1996. It requires the FCC is establish NIER Standards
by August 8, 1996. The federal legislation is developed by electronics, wireless, and broadcast industries to
dramatically increase their profits. In 1998, Denver broadcasters claim they forced to build a Supertower to
comply with the TelCom Act.

CARE recommends consultant Richard Tell for the JeffCo survey because he had directed the EPA study of
Lookout Mountain in 1986. With BCC approval, the health department hired Tell to conduct a 6-hour survey on
July 12, 1996. It is the only radiation survey JeffCo sponsored before hiring James Hart in 1998.

Ignoring Tell’s recommendation to establish long-term RF site plans to accommodate the numerous applications
enabled by the TelCom Act, JeffCo continued the tradition of reacting to each individual application. JeffCo
Commissioners Stone, Miller and Laura ignore CARE’s 1997 petition for a “moratorium” of RF applications until a
comprehensive plan is completed. Petitions of numerous Riva Chase and Lininger Mountain residents are
negated by approval of a third cell phone tower on Grapevine Road in 1997. On August 2, KDVR-FOX-31 installs
a noisy outdoor generator, adjacent to families living on Cedar Lake Road.