Minutes - Council - 07/24/2007 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Planning Commission met on July 11, 2007 and recommended approval of the CUP based on Findings of Fact drafted favorable to the applicant. Staff recommends that approval would be contingent on FCC approval. Mr. Dennis Carpenter, President of Milestone Radio, LLC, stated he and his business partners Dan Peters and Bart Ward have six FM radio stations in Minnesota. The FCC has approved consolidation of studio sites, which is what this building in Ramsey is all about. They like this community and the growth in this area and would like to be part of this. This building would serve their purpose well. It is a 1,800 square foot building that they will fill with new employees and will deliver programming through the Twin Cities and beyond through Central Minnesota. Councilmember Dehen asked if the broadcasting will be from this building. Mr. Carpenter replied yes, the tower is an 80- foot lattice style tower that is needed to beam the signal to towers in multiple locations via microwave paths. There cannot be any flexibility. They use a solid steel rod tower and the lattice design allows the wind to pass through; a monopole tower would be flexible. Mr. Carpenter stated Milestone Radio goes beyond the boundaries of Minnesota, and also brings real radio to the continent of Africa with unfiltered news and information, as well as language and teaching programs. They also offer the first country radio station in Africa. Milestone Radio is most proud of their effort to educate about AIDS and spends a lot of time educating men in Africa about AIDS. In the cities where they are located, AIDS has dropped dramatically. Milestone Radio also provides Christian programming. A lot of the programs for Africa will come from the Ramsey studio. There will be many dignitaries from around the world that will visit the site, including prominent business leaders in this area. This will give Ramsey the opportunity to showcase their community. Councilmember Dehen asked if people that speak the native language in Africa will be brought into Ramsey. Mr. Carpenter replied Milestone Radio tries to stick with the English language. He noted there are about 26,000 Africans living in the Twin Cities. Mayor Gamec pointed out that Ramsey will be mentioned quite a bit on the radio and there are a lot of the area people that listen to BOB FM. Mr. Carpenter stated Milestone Radio has been working with Tim Gladhill who has invited them to participate with the Happy Days Festival. They have offered their services to orchestrate the fireworks to music into a sky concert. They have also helped to put together food vendors. They like working one year in advance and would like to help the City develop this into a major event. Motion by Councilmember Look, seconded by Councilmember Jeffrey, to adopt Resolution #07- 07-171 adopting Findings of Fact #0800 relating to a request from Milestone Radio for a conditional use permit to construct a radio broadcasting antenna and satellite dish at 14443 Armstrong Blvd NW. City Council! July 24, 2007 Page 5 of 19