Craig homeowner asks council to drop Port St. Nicholas tower site

A homeowner living near mile 3.4 on Port St. Nicholas Road asked the Craig City Council on Thursday, Sept. 3, to drop the Zone 2 site for a second communication tower. She said the location shown in the amended packet would place her house almost directly beneath it.

The homeowner said she and her husband learned of the proposal two days earlier. She objected on grounds of property value, quality of life and unresolved debate over health effects of cell tower radiation. She said other Port St. Nicholas residents likely do not know about the plan. Federal guidance differs from her concern: the Federal Communications Commission sets public radio frequency exposure limits for cellular and PCS sites at about 580 microwatts per square centimeter, and says ground-level emissions from cellular antennas typically fall thousands of times below that limit.

Craig Tribal Association Second Vice President Aaron Levi Crook said the site is now a sale between two private parties because of an earlier council decision. The tribe tried to buy city land for a tower, he said, "and it didn't pass the vote of city council. They didn't want to sell a piece of land to a tribe."

Mayor Michael Kempner said the council received the packet when the public did, and that it is a notice seeking comment on effects to historic properties and cultural resources, not an application. "I mean, of course, I think it's out of city limits," Kempner said. "And, you know, and it's owned by corporations. The only thing the city has to do is with the road and the right-of-way out to the water plant."

Kempner said the packet lists 3.4 miles but its map does not match the ground. "On the site map in the packet though, it shows the city water plant, which is at Five Mile," he said. "The picture is not where the water plant is." Staff said proximity to the water line could be a showstopper, and the water treatment plant operator is being consulted.

The notice carries a 30-day comment window. Kempner said the council still has reading and clarification ahead before it takes any position.