[nrv-hams] Planning commission meeting report

[Russ Abbey]

Thank you Kay for a very nice detailed report.  It is so nice to have
people who actually understand what the difference is to work with.  It was
also very nice Of Bill W9KIC to contact us to let us know of the meeting.
73
Russ, KG4MAV


On Thu, Aug 22, 2013 at 2:29 PM, Kay Craigie <n3kn at verizon.net> wrote:

> Last evening I had the opportunity to speak at some length to the
> Montgomery
> County planning commission at a fact-finding and discussion meeting -- not
> a
> formal public hearing -- about the proposed amateur radio tower ordinance
> for the county. This does not include the towns of Blacksburg and
> Christiansburg, which have their own planning commissions.
>
> Several members of the commission are engineers and several are or were
> hams
> or shortwave listeners. Their attitude was entirely positive towards
> amateur
> radio, and their questions were probing but fair-minded.
>
> I emphasized disaster communications and opportunities for technical
> experimentation as the principal virtues of ham radio that are relevant to
> Montgomery County.
>
> The draft ordinance is very good. A few minor changes were made during the
> session but they were fine and in one case were a distinct improvement. It
> is not a blank check to put up any darn thing someone feels like doing but
> accurately reflects the terms of the 1998 Virginia so-called PRB-1 statute
> and the provisions of the 1985 FCC PRB-1 decision requiring local zoning
> authorities to make reasonable accommodation for amateur radio antennas and
> support structures. With the commission's consent, I will forward a copy of
> the updated language to the ARRL's General Counsel for his review. I spoke
> with him on the phone before the meeting to be sure I had all my ducks in a
> row, so to speak.
>
> The deal is not done. The planning commission must hold public hearings on
> the subject. When the commission has approved the ordinance, as I fully
> expect them to do, it then goes to the Board of Supervisors for
> consideration and public hearing. One Supervisor was present last night. I
> have been invited to speak to the issue at the September 9 meeting of the
> Supervisors. At that time I imagine the questions will be less
> well-informed, since probably the Supervisors don't have the same sort of
> technical background as the planning commission members.
>
> Also attending last night's meeting were Carter N3AO, Bill Davis W9KIC, and
> Tom McAlee NI1N. Tom lives in the town of Blacksburg, where the ordinance
> is
> more restrictive than Montgomery County's proposed regulation.
>
> The planning commission's goal in creating an ordinance is to ensure that
> amateur radio is not inadvertently harmed by the terms of ordinances
> regulating other kinds of communications towers. That's all to the good.
> Too
> many municipalities stubbornly refuse to comprehend the difference between
> an amateur radio installation and a cell tower site.
>
> 73 - Kay N3KN
>
>
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