Another communications tower proposal is in the works for a remote ridgetop location on Galena Summit in the mountains northwest of Ketchum.
But this time Blaine County is developing the idea. County officials say the tower would provide emergency services providers with better communications coverage in the mountainous northern area of the county.
Like a previous proposal from Ketchum-based Idaho Tower Co., a plan twice denied by Sawtooth National Forest officials, the new plan seeks to place a tower near the old microwave reflector site northeast of the Galena Summit parking area where state Highway 75 crosses the pass.
However, the similar locations for the two proposals are where the similarities largely end. The earlier proposal from Idaho Tower—which was denied for the second time by then-Sawtooth National Forest Supervisor Jane Kollmeyer last September—sought to place a 90-foot, self-supporting cellular tower for public use at the out-of-the-way spot.
The ridge is the divide between the Big Wood and Salmon river valleys. It's also a popular area for backcountry skiers.
The county seeks to place a 40-foot tower at the spot, said Char Nelson, Blaine County's operations and special projects manager. That would place it at or below the treeline at Galena Summit, Nelson told the Blaine County Commission on Monday.
The old proposal from Idaho Tower sought to camouflage the taller tower by making it look like a conifer tree. Despite the "stealth tower" design, Kollmeyer ruled that the project would still lead to "substantial impairment" of the scenic ridgetop. The new tower would use the 700-megahertz system, the dedicated radio frequency for emergency responders.
For now, police officers, firefighters and ambulance staff don't have a reliable means of communicating in the rural area on both sides of Galena Summit, Nelson said. To overcome this, they often place officers at various spots along the highway so they can relay communications from one vehicle to the next. According to Nelson, the new system would greatly improve the communications situation.
"It would cover both sides of the mountain," she said, and would provide "very good coverage" south of Galena Summit.
To pay for the costly project, the county is pursuing several federal grant opportunities for emergency services.
Because the new proposal would only be used by emergency responders, the county is also working on a separate plan to install eight to 10 emergency call boxes along the highway on both sides of Galena Summit, Nelson said Monday.
She said the county is working closely with Sawtooth National Forest officials to craft a plan that would satisfy many of their concerns before it enters the application phase.
As the first tower proposal did, the county's request will have to go through a rigorous approval process with the Sawtooth National Forest. That would likely include public meetings, said Julie Thomas, the forest's public affairs officer. However, she said, no meetings have been scheduled.
Thomas said the county hasn't been given prior approval for the plan.
"We have periodically visited with them and given them feedback," she said.
Jason Kauffman: jkauffman@mtexpress.com
