Commission gives ham operator static

Greg Harman

Thursday, June 22, 2000 | 9:45 a.m.

Ham radio operator Dave Abbott will have to keep his Yugo-style operation for now.

After being shuffled back and forth between the Planning Commission and City Council, the Boulder City resident's request to erect a 66-foot antenna in his back yard was denied by the Planning Commission for a second time.

Abbott hoped that raising his roof-mounted 30-foot tower to a 66-foot communications device -- a transition he compared to trading in a Yugo to take the wheel of a Cadillac -- would provide better reception.

But the commissioners weren't sure Abbott's quality of reception was the issue. They asked if he is able to practice his hobby without the extra footage. Abbott said he could but at a reduced quality.

Several residents spoke against the request while other ham operators offered what support they could for Abbott.

"I used to raise hogs. Would you give me a variance to raise hogs in my front yard?" an agitated Ward Lockland asked the commissioners.

Wayne Curtis, who said he recently spent $23,000 on his property behind Abbott's home, pleaded his concerns over the antenna's potential effect on property values.

"If I sell that property down the road, who's going to want to pay the money I'll be asking if they can lay out on the patio by the pool and look up at that antenna?" Curtis asked.

Abbott was unable to better explain why he needed the height increase.

"Higher is just better," he said. "It's a hobby. There's no real qualitative measure."

The increase was resisted by the commissioners, who at a recent meeting cited undefined safety concerns and a "negative aesthetic impact" for their original rejection. But federal laws require local governments to make efforts to "reasonably accommodate" radio operators in their hobby.

City Attorney Dave Olsen -- who had faulted the Planning Commission for not justifying their first denial in a way that would hold up in court should the Federal Communications Commission choose to interfere -- helped steer the commissioners through a denial.

Abbott seemed unfazed by the decision.

As he quietly left the meeting he assured the commissioners that he had filed an appeal with the Boulder City Council before the Planning Commission even considered the case Wednesday night.