10 Year Old's Ham Radio Tower Must Come Down
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Ham radio operator loses battle over backyard tower Video by tmj4.com
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MT. PLEASANT - The Mt. Pleasant Plan Commission decided Wednesday to deny a family's request to keep their ham radio.
The Markstrom family has a 62 foot tower in their Mt. Pleasant yard. They say it is used for emergency communications and it's a favorite hobby for their 10 year old son Samm. Samm has Cerebral Palsy. He's won awards for using his radio to help others.
Samm Markstrom told commissioners if he has to lower it to 18 feet, he won't be able to communicate with others. "If it were restricted at that height, we should just rip the tower out anyway, because we wouldn't be able to get out of Racine," he said.
The Markstroms never got a permit when they erected the tower.
Neighbors say the radio tower interferes with their tv and phone signals. And they fear it is so big it would damage their homes if it ever fell down. "If it's a problem that their tower needs to be so high because of where they live that the rest of us need to be put at risk because of their hobby, well then I'm sorry. It needs to be placed elsewhere," said Natalie Scott who lives next door.
The Markstroms say if the village forces them to lower the tower, they will. But, they believe they have a right to transmit. If they can't find a solution with the village, Jim Markstrom says they may sue.
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