Desertdog
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Golden adds twist to TV tower dispute
written by: Adam Schrager 9NEWS Reporter
http://www.9news.com/acm_news.aspx?...MPLATEID=0c76dce6-ac1f-02d8-0047-c589c01ca7bf
9News reporter Adam Schrager says the future of a super TV tower on Lookout Mountain remains unclear. Aug. 30, 2005. 5 p.m.
GOLDEN - The city of Golden has offered to buy property on Lookout Mountain where Denver's main television stations, including 9News, want to build a new broadcasting tower. The City Manager says if the stations won't sell, Golden will exercise its powers of eminent domain and seize the land for open space.
"We think the price will be well worth their while to sell to us," said Golden City Manager Mike Bestor. "(If the stations won't sell), we'll take it. We'll use our powers of eminent domain and we'll go to court."
Colorado's General Assembly had recently passed a law prohibiting cities from using eminent domain for open space outside its borders, but the city of Telluride sued and a District Court Judge ruled the law was unconstitutional. Telluride and the prospective developers of its adjacent Valley Floor property have since settled and the case was never appealed.
9News and Channels 4, 7 and 20 are represented by an organization called The Lake Cedar Group. The group is seeking to build one 730-foot so-called "super tower" to comply with federal government requirements to send digital signals by January 2009. In exchange, the stations will remove three large existing towers and numerous smaller ones currently placed on Lookout Mountain.
A statement released by the Lake Cedar Group this afternoon criticizes Golden's position.
"Once citizens of Golden understand the cost associated with this proposal, they'll come to the obvious conclusion that this is not a good use of taxpayer money," the statement reads. "This is an effort by Golden to take away the decision-making authority of the Jefferson County Commissioners to make land-use decisions. The Jefferson County Commissioners are in the best position to make this land-use decision."
The Commissioners held a final public hearing on the matter Tuesday. Two times previously, they have approved construction of the tower only to have a Jefferson County District Court Judge send it back to them for further clarification. Their final vote is set for September 27.
The intent to buy the land was communicated in a letter from Bestor to Lake Cedar Group attorneys yesterday. Bestor says his city's move ensures the land will not be available for any future development.
"This is really a critical piece of property for open space purposes," said Bestor. "If you look around Golden, what makes Golden cool is undeveloped mountains.
"We feel this move is consistent with the will of our community and the will of most of the citizens of Colorado. They'd like to look at mountains, not at development."
written by: Adam Schrager 9NEWS Reporter
http://www.9news.com/acm_news.aspx?...MPLATEID=0c76dce6-ac1f-02d8-0047-c589c01ca7bf
9News reporter Adam Schrager says the future of a super TV tower on Lookout Mountain remains unclear. Aug. 30, 2005. 5 p.m.
GOLDEN - The city of Golden has offered to buy property on Lookout Mountain where Denver's main television stations, including 9News, want to build a new broadcasting tower. The City Manager says if the stations won't sell, Golden will exercise its powers of eminent domain and seize the land for open space.
"We think the price will be well worth their while to sell to us," said Golden City Manager Mike Bestor. "(If the stations won't sell), we'll take it. We'll use our powers of eminent domain and we'll go to court."
Colorado's General Assembly had recently passed a law prohibiting cities from using eminent domain for open space outside its borders, but the city of Telluride sued and a District Court Judge ruled the law was unconstitutional. Telluride and the prospective developers of its adjacent Valley Floor property have since settled and the case was never appealed.
9News and Channels 4, 7 and 20 are represented by an organization called The Lake Cedar Group. The group is seeking to build one 730-foot so-called "super tower" to comply with federal government requirements to send digital signals by January 2009. In exchange, the stations will remove three large existing towers and numerous smaller ones currently placed on Lookout Mountain.
A statement released by the Lake Cedar Group this afternoon criticizes Golden's position.
"Once citizens of Golden understand the cost associated with this proposal, they'll come to the obvious conclusion that this is not a good use of taxpayer money," the statement reads. "This is an effort by Golden to take away the decision-making authority of the Jefferson County Commissioners to make land-use decisions. The Jefferson County Commissioners are in the best position to make this land-use decision."
The Commissioners held a final public hearing on the matter Tuesday. Two times previously, they have approved construction of the tower only to have a Jefferson County District Court Judge send it back to them for further clarification. Their final vote is set for September 27.
The intent to buy the land was communicated in a letter from Bestor to Lake Cedar Group attorneys yesterday. Bestor says his city's move ensures the land will not be available for any future development.
"This is really a critical piece of property for open space purposes," said Bestor. "If you look around Golden, what makes Golden cool is undeveloped mountains.
"We feel this move is consistent with the will of our community and the will of most of the citizens of Colorado. They'd like to look at mountains, not at development."
If the average person only knew the profits cable companys are making, it would make you sick. We have a small campus cable system here at work, and it costs us about $3 a month for each person we sell it to for $30 a month. And we are a smaller provider, so we pay a higher price that the city wide systems pay.
