PETITION TO STOP VERIZON WIRELESS FROM BUILDING A COMMUNICATION TOWER IN ST. BETHLEHEM NEIGHBORHOOD and REVISE CITY ORDINANCES TO KEEP A MINIMUM DISTANCE OF COMMUNICATION TOWERS FROM NEIGHBORHOODS, SCHOOLS and HISTORIC BUILDINGS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY. Case # SR-21-2015

 Location: 2243 Old Russellville Pike (Lot owned by St. Bethlehem United Methodist Church)

 Telecad Wireless Verizon Wireless is trying to build a 100-feet tower in the heart of St. Bethlehem. It is currently under revision for approval from the Planning Commission.  Meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 29th at 2:00pm in 329 Main Street. REVISED MEETING date: September 23rd.

 We need to stop communication towers in neighborhoods. These towers will have adverse consequences to all of us.

 Our opposition to the Old Russellville Pike/Rossview  Communication Tower is based on the following concerns:

1.  HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH EXPOSURE TO WIRELESS EMISSIONS

While the FCC claims that wireless facilities are safe, the U.S. Department of the Interior states “the electromagnetic radiation standards used by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) continue to be based on thermal heating, a criterion now nearly 30 years out of date and inapplicable today.”  Other countries now limit public exposure to levels far lower than the standards currently set by the FCC.

Studies have shown that even at low levels of radiation, there is evidence of biological damage, brain tumors, cancer, weakened immune function, childhood leukemia, reduced sperm count and ovarian follicles.

In May 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified the type of radiation that cell towers emit as a Class 2B carcinogen, meaning “possibly carcinogenic to humans”, the same category as lead and DDT.

The American Association of Pediatrics raises concerns that children may be more vulnerable than adults “because of the potentially greater susceptibility of their developing nervous systems; in addition, their brain tissue is more conductive, radiofrequency radiation penetration is greater relative to head size, and they will have a longer lifetime of exposure than adults.”

The Los Angeles Unified School District has banned cell installations from school properties due to the potential health hazards posed to students.  It also passed a resolution mandating that all cell sites be kept at least 1,000 feet from school grounds.   We need set ordinances as this one in our county to include residential areas and schools.

With such conflicting opinions as to the safety of wireless emissions, and with the long-term health effects of cell tower exposure unknown, allowing a cell site so close to our school, churches and homes seems an irresponsible and foolish risk to take with the health and safety of our children.

2. NEGATIVE IMPACT ON SAFETY

A cell site located this close to the intersection of Old Russellville Pike and Rossview Road would be a hazard. There are non-radiation safety hazards posed by wireless installations communication towers in residential neighborhoods, which current City regulations do not address. These include tower overloading and resulting fire and electrocution hazards when poles/antennas/tower topple due to earthquakes, tornadoes, storms, vehicular accidents or high winds; and explosive and toxic chemical hazards from backup batteries. 

3. NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE RESIDENTS

The close proximity to homes on Old Russellville Pike, Rossview Road and Blaine Court would be an intrusion into the privacy of the residents.  Workers performing routine maintenance would have direct views into homes.Wireless companies require access for maintenance 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  That maintenance (often done at night) brings work crews, trucks with lifts, radios, lights and noise that will affect many neighbors.

4. NEGATIVE IMPACT ON PROPERTY VALUES

The unsightliness of these installations will have a negative impact on property values.  Whether or not radiation emissions from these antennas and communication towers are harmful is irrelevant.  The perceived threat alone would lower property values. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines categorize cell towers with "hazards and nuisances," and HUD requires its certified appraisers to take the presence of nearby cell towers into consideration when determining the value of single-family residential properties.  Studies have shown that proximity to a cell tower can lower property values from 5 to 20%.

5. NEGATIVE IMPACT ON HISTORIC PROPERTIES

Communication towers and antennas should be within at least 800 feet of historic properties to ensure Tennessee’s treasures. Historic buildings are irreplaceable, and to not take adequate measures to protect them would be a disservice to our State and future generations.

6.  NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY

Allowing this cell tower will set a precedent allowing for co-location and additional towers in our community.  Verizon already has plans for several other sites in this area.  If Verizon can blanket the neighborhood with cell towers and antennas, what is to stop other wireless companies from doing the same?  And once a cell tower is established, there are no restrictions that prevent wireless companies from adding more antennas.  Are residential streets shaded by canopies of cell antennas what we want for our future neighborhoods?

We currently have 9 Communication Towers and 87 Cellular antennas within a 3-mile radius to this location. We believe that there are plenty of viable, reasonable options for the location of this tower that would be out of our neighborhood. There are plenty of commercial properties and industrial parks in the area that may not mind this tower and would keep it within reasonable distance from our homes.

 While we recognize that there is a need for better cell coverage, we are opposed to the inappropriate location of cell sites. It is essential that steps be taken to locate these sites where they would be the least intrusive and have the lowest impact on the daily lives of the people who live, work, study and play in our community.

 To Councilmember Bill Powers:  We ask you to support us in preventing this cell installation and any future wireless installations near our homes.  We ask for you to request an exception to amend this ordinance regarding setbacks to make them larger. We ask for your help to work with Verizon to find a more responsible and suitable location, one that would not have such a negative impact on our families and community.

 To The Clarksville City Council and City Attorney:  We are your constituents and we are asking you to fix the laws that regulate the placement of wireless telecommunications facilities.

We ask for you to address revision/amend of the Communication Towers Ordinance. We ask for you to set larger setbacks on communication towers.  We suggest setbacks in residential areas no less than 600 feet to keep residents in safe zones.  We suggest setbacks for historic buildings no less than 600 feet. We suggest school zones to mimic other states and be at 600 feet. In the meantime, the uncontrolled proliferation of unsightly cell sites along our residential streets has continued.  The residents of our neighborhoods still have no means with which to address their concerns regarding the negative impacts these sites have on health, property values, and the quality of life in their communities.

We urge you to expedite this process.  We urge you to enact an Interim Control Ordinance to impose an immediate moratorium on all wireless telecommunication facilities in the Public Right of Way and/or applications for approval of such installations until a revised ordinance is enacted.

Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter. 

Respectfully,

 

Your St. Bethlehem Community and Montgomery County Residents.