From: "Bob Fritz" <xxxx@yyy.zzz>
Date: Wed, 2/23/2011 9:01:29 AM
To: "planning"
Subject: Antenna Issue
I do not have any objection to Mr. Taormina’s amateur radio antennas in the Virginia City Highlands. We moved to the Highlands 5 years ago because we thought it was a beautiful place to live and retire. We looked all over the western states for just the right place and we decided that place was the Highlands. I do not want paved roads, street lights or many of the other ‘improvements’ that distinguish us from the ‘big city’. But I also recognize that there are some modern facilities that make sense from a convenience or safety standpoint. For instance, the electric and telephone services that are brought to us on poles along our roads and, in some cases, cross-county and the TV antennas/dishes that most of us have on our houses. They mar the natural beauty of our area, but also bring us services that most (all?) of us want. I consider the amateur radio antennas to be in that same category. Do they detract somewhat from the beauty of our area?..yes, but no more so than the telephone poles and TV antennas. When looking for a home here, I would have been willing to buy any of the houses adjacent to Mr. Taormina’s 10 acres with no concern about his towers. Everyone in the Highlands has their own opinion of where to draw the line on what we should or should not allow to detract from our rural beauty, but I contend that the emergency communications capabilities provided by amateur radio make up for whatever impact the towers (which have no lights and can only be seen in daylight) may have on the Highlands. The importance of amateur radio is recognized in federal law through Title 97, Code of Federal Regulations which states that the purpose of the Amateur Radio Service as: (a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.
Also, 47 CFR 97.15 states:
State and local regulation of a station antenna structure must not preclude amateur service communications. Rather, it must reasonably accommodate such communications and must constitute the minimum practicable regulation to accomplish the state or local authority's legitimate purpose.
I believe the possible value of those towers in a large natural disaster or national emergency far outweighs their impact on the natural beauty of the Highlands and I urge the Planning Commission to allow them to remain and the Storey County government to take full advantage of their capabilities.
Respectfully,
Robert G. Fritz
21361 Crestview Road
Virginia City Highlands, NV 89521
775-636-7243