Subject:  Detroit, Michigan Cell Tower fight (Hill).
Date:     Sat, 18 Nov 2000 052114 -0600
From:     Roy Beavers 
To:       guru 
--------------------------------------------------

.........From EMF-L.......

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Neighbors fight cell tower: Birmingham district wants one at 
school to raise money
Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2000 17:41:05 -0500
From: "Dawn Hill" 
To: 

Roy:
Thought this might interest you if you haven't already seen the article.
Same story as all around: neighbors are fighting them because of potential
health risks; "scientists" (Moulder in particular) are still attempting to
negate the need for any concern about health.


Neighbors fight cell tower:
Birmingham district wants one at school to raise money
http://www.detroitnews.com/2000/oakland/0011/17/d04-149656.htm

[Picture Caption]
The lights at Seaholm High School are mounted on cellular phone towers.
There are eight such towers at three Birmingham schools, earning the
district more than $1.2 million. Another one is planned at Covington school,
but neighbors are fighting it.

[Inset Box]
Tower risks
* Concern: Are health hazards associated with living, working, playing or
going to school near a cellular phone tower?
   * Consensus: No, says a Wisconsin specialist. Scientists in the United
States and elsewhere have reached a consensus that the power is far too low
to cause harm as long as people are kept away from direct access to the
antennas, explains John E. Moulder, professor of radiation oncology at the
Medical College of Wisconsin. He is the author of Cellular Phone Antennas
and Human Health.
   Experts stress that it's critical to understand the difference between
antennas, which produce radio-frequency radiation, and the towers or masts
that hold them. It's the antennas that people need to keep a distance from,
not the towers.
By Jennifer Brooks / The Detroit News

[Full Story]
    BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP -- The Birmingham school district looked at the blue
sky above Covington School and saw a money-making opportunity. But the
neighbors just saw a skyline they were willing to go to court to protect.
   Last week, an Oakland Circuit Court judge quashed plans to build a
150-foot cellular tower on the grounds of the Bloomfield Township school,
siding with residents who argued that while the antennas are necessary, they
don't necessarily belong in their back yards.
   "We choose to use cell phones, but our children didn't choose to have
microwave towers above their heads," said neighbor Joyce Murphy, who worries
about the tower's potential effect on the health of the school's
third-through-eighth graders.
   "I understand the money is quite alluring, but I think the people around
here would be willing to have a little bit of an increase in their taxes
instead."
   The money is the attraction. Like many Oakland County school districts,
Birmingham began making leasing agreements with cellular companies in the
mid-1990s. To date, there are eight towers at three schools, which have
earned more than $1.2 million. The district plans to appeal the court
ruling.
   Although Birmingham is an affluent district, in an even more affluent
section of Oakland County, rising costs and a shrinking tax base left the
district with a $1-million budget deficit this year. Officials were
considering three cellular contracts, including the one at Covington, to
bring in extra money.
   Many cellular customers welcome the adding towers. The more towers, the
better the coverage area for their mobile phones.
   "I've had several people call and say they're glad we're doing it," said
Richard Perry, Birmingham's assistant superintendent of business services.
"Because there are dead zones for their cell phones (in the area) and they
feel their cell phones are a safety mechanism when they're driving, or
working in their yards. So there's a pro and con side."
   Firmly in the con category are officials in Bloomfield Township and the
village of Beverly Hills, who joined the suit. Although federal law
prohibits communities from banning cell towers, they prefer to restrict the
towers to commercial areas.
   No one is quite sure how many cellular towers there are in Oakland
County. State and county officials do not track them, the Federal
Communications Commission only registers towers taller than 200 feet. Even
Bloomfield Township, with its heightened interest in cellular issues, is
uncertain how many towers are in the township.
   Many people are leery about a relatively new technology that has spread
so rapidly. Although FCC studies have shown that the radiation from cellular
towers is thousands of times lower than the safety threshold, many are
skeptical, especially when the towers are near schools.
   Bloomfield Hills Realtor Tish Clough worries about health risks, but she
also worries about the effect a 15-story tower would have on property values
in her neighborhood. She has seen the look on a prospective buyer's face
when she shows a property that has huge power lines towering over it.
   "I just think it's a little bit of a blight on the neighborhood," she
said.
   In response to community concerns, Birmingham has ordered a survey to
measure microwave and radiation levels around the cellular towers on school
property, and a comparison with other areas. A similar study, several years
ago, found higher electromagnetic radiation levels inside the
superintendent's house than at Derby Middle School, which is under an
enormous array of power lines.
   There are four cellular towers at Seaholm High School in Birmingham,
three at Groves High School in Beverly Hills and one at Berkshire Middle
School in Beverly Hills, all doubling as lights for school athletic fields
and property. The district expects to collect a total of $3 million by the
time the 20-year leases expire, Perry said.


You can reach Jennifer Brooks at (248) 647-8825 or at jbrooks@detnews.com.


Archive provided courtesy of WaveGuide, http://www.wave-guide.org
Reprinted with permission of Roy Beavers, http://www.emfguru.com