BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Bakersfield City Council voted 5-2 to uphold a residents' appeal and block a proposed public safety radio tower from being built at a Water Resources facility in southwest Bakersfield.
The vote came Aug. 5 after city staff returned with additional information on the project, including an analysis of an alternative site at the Park at River Walk and visual renderings showing what the proposed tower would look like in the surrounding neighborhood.
Staff recommended moving forward with the original site because it has already been engineered and funded, sits on secure city property, and provides the coverage needed for the new public safety radio system. Staff also clarified that while the tower itself would stand 150 feet tall, an antenna on top would bring the overall height to approximately 170 feet.
"This is a lot taller tower than I originally anticipated," Council Member Larry Koman said.
Koman made the motion to uphold the appeal and deny the director's approval for the project at that location. The motion passed with Council Members Arias and Gonzales voting against it.
Council Member Zack Bashirtash spoke candidly about the tension between the project's importance and its placement.
"I mean, I sit in my backyard and I would be frustrated to look at a giant tower. I'm going to be totally honest. It's so important, this tower, what it's going to do for our community and our police department doing that, but… I mean, it's like, 'let me see how close I can move this to someone's house before they get pissed off and show up at a city council meeting,'" Bashirtash said.
The River Walk site was identified as an alternative that would place the tower farther from homes and schools. However, staff said that option would require new design and environmental work, potentially delaying the project one to two years and adding between $500,000 and $1.5 million in unfunded costs.
Bo Koenig, who filed the appeal against the original location, said he is pleased with the council's decision.
"It's undisputed that the tower will benefit the public safety of our community, but not at the expense of the local residents and risk of injury to children at Ronald Reagan Elementary," Koenig said.
The public safety radio system itself is still needed. The city must now determine where the tower will be located.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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