Subject:  Antenna's hidden in church steeples (Howland)...
Date:     Tue, 28 Sep 1999 123228 -0500 (CDT)
From:     "Roy L. Beavers" 
To:       emfguru 
--------------------------------------------------


.......EVERYBODY!!  Let's make sure that the church members fully
understand the legal implications here......  I'm also going to go back 
in our archives and dig out that (U.S. Justice Department) case against
"big tobacco" which makes the point that:  lack of proof that a "hazard"
exists -- as well as absence of negligence -- does not relieve tobacco
companies from their liability for the health hazards of their
product.......   The manufacturers responsibility is to **provide a
safe product** (no ifs, ands or buts)......  If it is later found that
the product is unsafe -- the manufacturer is liable....

Thus, the important thing for the church members to realize at the time
they enter into these $$$$$$$ deals, is that: later developments
(regarding the health effects of cell-phone antennas) could more than
nullify any gain in income which the church might receive.....  Why?
Because, by entering into such an agreement, the church becomes a "party"
to what may later transpire viz-a-viz the towers!!!!!!......

Cheerio.....

Roy Beavers (EMFguru)......
rbeavers@llion.org.......
.....It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness.....
EMF-L web-site can be found at: 
EMF-L archives can be found at: 
..................PEOPLE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN PROFITS..................

...........DO YOU KNOW OF OTHERS WHO SHOULD BE ON THIS LIST??????........

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1999 12:36:04 -0400
From: John Howland 
To: rbeavers@llion.org, thistle@sover.net
Subject: fyi

By PETER SAVODNIK
Daily Progress staff writer
(Charlottesville, Virginia)
The dark, dusty interior of the steeple at St. Paul’s
Episcopal Church in Ivy teems with old crates, a ladder
— and a barely discernible cellular antenna
one-and-a-half inches wide, 48 inches long floating
above the creaky floorboards.
Installed last February by CFW Intelos, the antenna is
the latest addition to the 130-year-old steeple and the
first-of-its-kind cell tower in the Charlottesville area.
The senior warden at St. Paul’s, Tom Connors, said the
antennas — there are two, actually — will garner
$8,400 this year alone to pay for the church’s
community outreach.
But the more important long-term implications of
“steeple antennas” may have more to do with growth
management and less to do with good works. As the
demand for cell phone coverage grows and as county
officials try to stem the impending tide of 250-foot cell
towers, the drive to “co-locate” antennas and existing
buildings is heating up.
The county’s efforts to regulate such visible towers have
earned praise from some residents and criticism from
the companies. One of CFW’s competitors, the former
360 Communications, sued the county for its refusal to
allow a free-standing tower in southern Albemarle.
“For the community, [church steeples] provide the
potential location for the tower that doesn’t have a
visual impact on the community,” said Planning
Commissioner Dennis Rooker.
Rooker observed the county’s cell tower policy, which
is still in draft form and is due out sometime in the near
future, includes a provision encouraging
telecommunications companies to co-locate their
towers on church steeples.
Connors said “steeple antennas” were sprouting up in
Richmond, Northern Virginia and all over New
England. There is even, he said, a videotape produced
by telecommunications companies for churches about
the benefits of co-locating antennas at church steeples
entitled “There’s Money in Them Steeples.”
County spokeswoman Lee Catlin agreed with Rooker.
“The county’s emphasis has always been locating
towers on existing structures as much as possible …
particularly in more rural areas where towers
themselves are more intrusive,” she said.
But, she said, “any antenna, even one located on an
existing structure, would have to go through the
permitting process.”
Telecommunications companies view church steeples as
a way to reach out-of-the-way customers. “It’s very
discreetly hidden. It’s very effective. It provides good
coverage,” said the Director of Marketing at CFW,
Robert Cale.
Unlike many county officials, who would like to
preserve the community’s visual integrity,
telecommunications companies like CFW are focused
on providing individual customers with top-notch
coverage.
“There will be occasions when these opportunities
present themselves,” Cale said, “and if it’s a win-win
situation, then it presents an opportunity for us to get
better by it. We’re looking for ways we can service our
customers.”
Some county officials have raised eyebrows at the idea
of a church taking part in any kind of commercial
activity — even if the proceeds from that activity serve
the rural poor.
The chair of the Planning Commission, William W.
Finley, said, “I guess you could paint the steeple and
put advertisements on it. There are all kinds of things
you could do to make money for good causes. The love
of money is the root of all evil, you know.”
St. Paul’s rector, the Rev. Miller Hunter, said he views
“steeple antennas” as part of a St. Paul’s tradition.
Citing St. Paul’s Archdeacon Frederick Neve, who
came to this country from Britain in the 1890s, Hunter
said, “Churches have founding visions, and this work is
consistent with our vision.”

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