| Draft Environmental Impact Statement Shorts School Road Am Antenna Structures 1 1 PURPOSE and NEED FOR THE PROPOSED ACTION 1.1 Introduction S-R Broadcasting Co., Inc. (�S-R Broadcasting� or �S-R�) proposes to construct a communications utility (as defined in Snohomish County Code 30.91U.110)1 located on the northeast corner of a 39.75-acre parcel adjacent to the southwest intersection of 132nd Street SE and Shorts School Road. Access is provided off of 132nd St. S.E. When completed, the utility structures will occupy 4,500 square feet of the 39.75-acre parcel, or approximately 0.1%. The utility will provide a new digital broadcast site for radio station KRKO-AM. KRKO proposes the new broadcast site to enable it to expand its broadcast range to include most or all of Snohomish County. The expanded broadcast range will, among other things, improve emergency broadcast services within the County. As proposed, the facility will consist of four self-supporting AM signal transmission structures, one at 349 feet tall and three at 199 feet tall, to be used as a digital broadcast replacement site for KRKO-AM Radio (Phase I); and an additional four self-supporting transmission structures at 199 feet tall designed and constructed to co-locate other communications users, including other radio stations (Phase II). Phase I of the proposal includes construction of one 816-sq. ft. equipment shelter. Construction of a second equipment shelter could occur after completion of Phase II if required to accommodate future collocation. Upon completion of Phase II, KRKO�s current antennas on Larimer Road will be removed. In its current configuration, the proposal has been substantially modified from the configuration originally proposed. 1.2 Purpose and Need for Action KRKO-AM Radio (1380 AM) has been broadcasting at 5,000 watts from its current transmitter site in the Snohomish River Valley along Larimer Road since 1959. The station�s original location was on Tower Road in north Everett (now part of Legion Golf Course). KRKO moved from Tower Road into the Snohomish River Valley along Larimer Road in 1959. Poor ground conductivity at the original location and FCC requirements to protect other radio stations from interference played key roles in the first decision to move. The move to Larimer Road in the Snohomish River Valley allowed KRKO to cover the majority of the County�s population as it existed in 1959, particularly at night. This original move south and east away from the Tower Road location was also a prerequisite under federal regulations for KRKO to increase its power from what was then 1,000 watts to its current 5,000 watts. 1 The Snohomish County land use code underwent a major revision in December 2002. The former code section defining a �utility�, applicable to the proposal when the application was first filed, was 18.90.870. |