[TowerTalk] TowerTalk is old enough to drink!

[Grant Saviers]

I've experienced three kinds of bureaucrats in several permitting processes:

1. Antagonistic - I'm going to keep you from doing this.  Some so bold 
to actually say that.  Using their power to apply their personal values 
or politics to my application.

2. Lawful - here is what the codes say and if you do that it will be 
approved.

3. Helpful - If you modify x, y, or z, you will conform to what the code 
allows.

My last tower permit had all three participants.

#1 - Planning Dept - You need test borings and full geotechnical study, 
we don't allow towers this big (there is no code on heights)

#2 - Health Dept - the base concrete has no effect on septic or well, 
immediately signed off.

#3 - Building Permit - #1 request is strange, let's ask the county 
engineer.  Engineer - "your ground pressure is less than human foot 
loads from standing there, #1 is an idiot"  immediately signed off w/o 
tests.

#1 got her revenge - "we are going to apply commercial tower codes to 
this tower".  So I hired a lawyer to read her the line in the commercial 
codes.  "Amateur radio towers are exempt from the provisions of this 
section."  (a must statement if your municipality is considering tower 
codes, which get very expansive with the intent to control cell tower 
proliferation).

So now I have a big permitted tower, and one bureaucrat that I hope is 
retired when I need my next permit.

If you can access contractors or architects who deal with the involved 
agencies on a regular basis, talk to them about who to work with.

Then there are some funny stories about residential inspectors doing 
finals on my towers.  It's not in their wheelhouse.

Grant KZ1W

On 6/28/2019 6:00 AM, Patrick Greenlee wrote:
> Dick, wear your scars with pride.?? You might not get public recognition 
> for "blazing the trail" for others but you are a good role model.?? Kudos 
> to your legal assistance too.
> 
> Patrick?????????????? NJ5G
> 
> On 6/28/2019 7:04 AM, Dick's wrote:
>> Just a comment about ???Up The Tower??? by Steve- I am so glad I bought 
>> that book before my tower installation. Besides all the advice he 
>> gave, he also gave the pros and cons about getting a permit from the 
>> local government before construction. I decided to go ahead and obtain 
>> a permit, so no neighbors in my subdivision would have a future valid 
>> complaint about it.
>>
>> The process of getting the permit took months because I was initially 
>> denied the permit. They said that the County didn???t have any rules 
>> concerning ham radio towers (legally known as ???antenna support 
>> structures???). I told them that (1) since it wasn???t addressed, they had 
>> no right to deny me as I was not violating any written rule, and that 
>> (2) the County was violating both Federal and State guidelines where 
>> they could not unreasonably deny me a permit for a structure less than 
>> 90??? high. They still refused to budge.
>>
>> It was at this time I sought the pro-bono help of a local attorney who 
>> had volunteered through ARRL. It took a couple of additional months, 
>> but that attorney convinced the County???s attorney of how embarrassing 
>> it would become if they were taken to court, just like a recent case 
>> he won against an adjacent county.
>>
>> Bottom line- I was the only ham in my County who ever had applied for 
>> a permit to put up a tower and now it has paved the way for others.
>>
>> Dick, K0CAT
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>>
>>
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