KXPR Tower Relocation
Capital Public Radio is in the application phase of a conditional use permit in Sacramento County for the construction of a new 500 ft. tower for our flagship station, KXPR. The new tower site will house our transmitter for KXPR, and future communication and technology needs. This site will also house an emergency backup generator that will provide an emergency source of power to allow the station to remain on the air in the event of a local or national disaster.
We have selected a site in Sloughhouse on Kiefer Road, east of the land fill (north of Jackson Highway). Conflicting broadcasting operations, airports and radio frequencies limit available sites for our frequency. After working through multiple land use and zoning issues, and gaining time-consuming approvals from the FAA and FCC, we have determined that this is the best site for our new KXPR tower. FM signals use line-of-site and require the height to serve the region.
We have been awarded financial grants for building assistance based on the timely completion at this site this within the 2012 calendar year. With rising costs and regulations this may be our last opportunity to construct a new tower for KXPR.
Under the auspices of Sacramento County, we have already completed a number of environmental reports that include cultural resources, Swainson's Hawk monitoring and the state clearing house. These reports have been reviewed and approved by the Sacramento County Department of Environmental Review & Assessment. The tower construction is designed to keep the amount of land disturbed to under an acre and allow other agriculture uses to be compatible with and surround the site.
Extensive thought and care has gone into the tower design to minimize the impact on the skyline and lessen the footprint on the land. We are able to keep our triangular tower compact, making a small profile and less visual impact than a freestanding tower. For example, this is substantially smaller in width than Channel 10 on Broadway, KFBK at 21st & Q and KCRA in Alkali Flat.
We will continue to update this site with information about the application and approval process as as move along. Questions should be directed to Shirlee Tully at (916) 278-8979 or [email protected]. You may also contact our Project Manager, Bob Rosenberg at (916) 929-6310 or [email protected].