Environmental attorney doesn't want waste site cell site and $4 tax reduction
December 27, 2007
MADISON, CT - A proposal to place a cell tower on the bulky waste site at Ridge Road has found a formidable opponent in environmental attorney Keith Ainsworth.
Ainsworth, who lives near the proposed site, is concerned that the proposal has not been adequately vetted. Recent balloon tests were thwarted by bad weather (tests for both areas have been rescheduled for Jan. 28). In earlier tests, the balloon was blocked, in the photographs, by trees.

An attorney with Evans, Feldman and Boyer, Ainsworth has represented citizens opposing cell towers in their neighborhoods. He also is an advanced class radio licensee, so he understands radio theory and propagation.
"It pits one neighborhood against another, and that is a horrible thing," said Ainsworth, at a recent selectman's meeting, addressing the fact that a tower is also being proposed for the Summer Hill neighborhood.
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January 16 hearing set for 595-foot WBEZ FM broadcast tower  installation
December 21, 2007
PORTER, IN - Local attorney Greg Babcock said it would be a win/win situation for both his clients and the town of Porter. Chicago-based WBEZ radio would get a 595-foot FM transmission tower and in turn the derelict buildings at the former Andershock's Fruitland would be demolished, truckloads of debris previously dumped behind them would be removed or mitigated in place, and more than half the 20-acre site offered for future business or light-industrial development.

In addition, a pending lawsuit brought by WBEZ after the Porter Board of Zoning Appeals rejected its 2006 tower request at another location could be dropped by mutual agreement; a trial had been set in Porter Superior Court this month but was postponed in light of the new zoning petition being filed.
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Eighth time is a charm for Verizon Wireless
December 20, 2007
WALL, NJ  - The Board of Adjustment last night approved plans for Verizon Wireless to build a cell phone tower to fill a gap in coverage.

The approved application to construct a wireless communication facility, including a 100-foot monopole and an unmanned 11.5-by-30-foot equipment shelter within a 44-by-35-foot fenced compound at Hinck's Turkey Farm on Atlantic Avenue, was completed in March 2006. Verizon will lease the land from Hinck's and would also remove the tower if it becomes obsolete.

"Quite frankly, you've put us through the wringer," Dunne told the board at the conclusion of her presentation, which included testimony from two expert witnesses.
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Washington AM towers barred pending health risk study
December 18, 2007
EVERETT, WA. - Two AM radio towers in the Snohomish River Valley should not be built until the potential health dangers of electromagnetic energy are analyzed, a Snohomish County official has ruled.

Deputy hearing examiner Edward L. Good cited a study published by The American Journal of Epidemiology in August that found children who live within 12 1/2 miles of AM radio antennas are twice as likely to develop leukemia than those living farther away.
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Park agency expected to okay cell tower plan following review
December 13, 2007
RAY BROOK, NY - The first of a planned series of cell phone towers to provide coverage along the Northway goes before the Adirondack Park Agency today. Approval is expected.

The 84-foot tower, which would be placed on the former Frontier Town property at Exit 29 in North Hudson, has support from environmentalists, which argued against larger towers that would have extended cell coverage further into the park but marred the park's natural beauty.

"This is specific to providing coverage along the Northway corridor," said Neal Woodworth, director of the Adirondack Mountain Club. "We don't expect them to have a major visual impact."
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Earth tone painted monopole gains approval in Mill Hall
December 12, 2007
MILL HALL, PA - Despite opposition from residents, a 199-foot cell tower could go up near Water Street next year.

The Borough Council was unanimous Tuesday in deciding that Verizon Wireless' request to build a tower is allowed under the zoning ordinance.

Turning down the request would have likely started a battle that could have ended with a tower anywhere at all in the borough, including heavily residential neighborhoods, Mayor Thomas Bittner and borough solicitor Paul Welch insisted.
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Obstruction Lighting atop cell tower illuminated after 5 years
December 11, 2007
STAGECOACH, NV - It's interesting what kind of stir a warning beacon atop a cell tower can create.

The small rural community of Stagecoach in Central Lyon County has had a 198-foot tall metal latticework tower perched on several acres of land near U.S. 50 West for about half a decade. It's the tallest manmade structure on the high desert landscape for miles in any direction.

Many area residents have voiced their concern during those five years about the tower posing a danger to low-flying aircraft because the red beacon that sits atop the tower was never illuminated. 
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Judge tosses suit involving 350-foot cell tower
December 10, 2007
UPPER ST. CLAIR, PA - An 11-year legal battle over a 350-foot cell tower in Upper St. Clair might have ended Monday morning when an Allegheny County judge dismissed the case.

Common Pleas Judge W. Terrence O'Brien threw out the case because, he ruled, the plaintiffs filed the lawsuit too late.

The plaintiffs -- a group of Upper St. Clair residents who wanted the tower torn down -- sued 45 days after construction of the $1 million project began in 1996 near an upscale subdivision. They had 30 days to file.

More than 200 cell tower foes show up to protest but are not heard
November 29, 2007
WALL, NJ - At last night's Board of Adjustment meeting, Verizon officials agreed to adjourn the discussion about their plans to build cell phone towers in Wall and move their applications for sites on Atlantic Avenue and Church Street to the board's meeting Dec. 19 at the municipal building on Allaire Road.

 More than 200 township residents attended Wednesday night's Board of Adjustment meeting intent on protesting an application by Verizon Wireless to build a new cell phone tower in the area of two residential neighborhoods.

However, they did not get their chance to speak.
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Verizon closer to full service in Southern Vermont
November 20, 2007
ARLINGTON, VT - Verizon Wireless will provide full digital cellular telephone service to much of Bennington County by the end of the year after several new cell towers are switched on.
Brian Sullivan, an attorney representing Verizon Wireless, told the Bennington County Regional Commission Thursday evening that the company has received permits to install a "chain of cell sites" along the Route 7 corridor from Williamstown, Mass., to Mt. Tabor.

The towers will provide full service to Verizon Wireless customers that are currently roaming on the company's "extended network" that utilizes the networks of competing companies, Sullivan said.
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Board votes down tower, but says decision was not based upon health issues
November 17, 2007
TINTON FALLS, NJ -  After a year of discussions and deliberations, the Tinton Falls Board of Education has voted against placing a cell tower on a Sycamore Avenue school property. One board member said that the tower did not get voted down because of radio frequency and health issues, but the Board was not explicit in providing reasons for the denial of the cell tower.

Revenue generated by the tower, which would have been shared by the school district and the borough, would have been $30,000 per carrier, or $90,000 if there were three carriers.

The 7-2 vote ended a few months of controversy fueled by parents and teachers who were opposed to a proposed cell tower on Mahala F. Atchison School grounds.
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If reverend wants an iPhone he'll have to lease to AT&T
November 13, 2007
HESPERIA, CA - "I asked them for an iPhone and they wouldn't give it to me," the Rev. Bob Wicherts said jokingly.

T-Mobile does not offer an iPhone, that is AT&T. Instead, T-Mobile will offer Rev. Wicherts $800 per month to lease space from the Hesperia United Methodist Church on Main Street for a 65-foot tall monopine.

The church must first get approval of a conditional use permit from the Hesperia Planning Commission on November 29.
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Residents to protest plans for antennas on water tower
November 12, 2007
HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP, NJ -- Residents of the sprawling Brandon Farms neighborhood plan to show up in force to voice their concerns about planned cell phone antennas in their neighborhood at the township committee meeting tomorrow.

T-Mobile has received township approvals to put nine 7-foot antennas atop the blue water tower that sits on the residential community's edge. It also has permission to install six radio equipment cabinets at the tower's base. Neighbors say the antennas will present health risks, look unsightly and drag down property values.
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New York balloon test gets mixed reactions
November 9, 2007
SCHUYERVILLE, NY - People were looking up at an orange balloon bobbing 100 feet above a residential neighborhood on Route 29 yesterday just west of the village near the Schuylerville Central School District's campus. The balloon was meant to represent the height of a proposed 100-foot-tall cellular phone tower now before the Schuylerville Planning Board.

Some people thought it was unobtrusive, other residents said it will still be a blight on the landscape, and a spokesman for the Saratoga National Historical Park said it was obtrusive and once the full tower is built, "it will look even more ominous."
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Consultant's error in monopalm height results in reversal of council's decision
November 8, 2007
PACIFIC PALISADES, CA - A T-Mobile representative reassured council members during an early October meeting that a monopalm planned to be built next to a Department of Water and Power water tank on a residential street would be 35 feet tall -- the same level as the community's height limit.

However, it was later found that the carrier had submitted plans in March for a 45-foot tower and the council reversed their decision to stay neutral.

A T-mobile spokesman said it was a mistake on the consultant's part, "She brought the wrong drawings. She had the wrong information in front of her," he said.
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Board wants industry input prior to tightening cell tower regulations
November 7, 2007
OLATHE, KS - After being put on hold while the city tweaked its policies and ordinances on billboards, the regulation of cell phone towers in Olathe has now taken center stage.

Still in a preliminary draft form, the proposed regulations would dictate where cell phone towers can be built, how tall they can be and how far from homes, businesses and other structures they have to stand.
"We are on the extreme side of things in that we do not have any language that restricts cell phone structures," planner Thomas Moorefield said Monday.

Commission chairman Tom Marsh said that while he was supportive of the proposed draft, he still wanted to hear what cell phone companies had to say before making any final decisions.
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Residents to pit their engineer against T-Mobile's on coverage needs
November 6, 2007
TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, NY - Residents fighting a T-Mobile 65-foot cell tower on Dogwood Avenue, in front of the Franklin Bridge Centre Shopping Plaza in Franklin Square, have hired an engineer that disputes the carrier's claim that there is a gap in the cell phone coverage in that area.

Residents said they conducted a test last year to show there is no gap in cell coverage. They tried 100 cell phone calls from inside buildings, on the street, in cars, in homes and they all went through, they say.

On December 6 during a zoning hearing, attorneys for T-Mobile will question the residents' expert during a December 6 zoning hearing.
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Site preparation to continue as tower debate heads to court
November 5, 2007
SPRING BROOK TWP., PA - Residents opposing a cell phone tower planned near their development are taking the issue to court.

A residents group loosely calling themselves Citizens for Spring Brook have filed an appeal against the Board of Supervisors' approval in August of a conditional-use application to Cingular Wireless to erect the cell phone tower.

Attorney Christopher Schubert for Cingular Wireless said the company received notice Oct. 22 of an appeal by residents.

Schubert declined comment, but he said the company will follow through with site preparation while they await the appeal outcome. The tower, a 192-foot monopole, has cleared the zoning, land-use and supervisor boards, but residents say officials are setting a bad land-use precedent.
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U.S. Cellular to make fourth attempt at middle school request
November 4, 2007
JANESVILLE, WI - Residents will get to express their opinions tomorrow on a proposed cell-phone tower on the grounds of Marshall Middle School.

The Janesville Plan Commission will hold a public hearing at its 6:30 p.m. meeting Monday before deciding whether to allow U.S. Cellular to build a 120-foot tower on the grounds of the school at 25 S. Pontiac Drive.

This is the fourth attempt U.S. Cellular has made in five years to build a tower on Janesville's east side and the second attempt to build one on Marshall grounds. The company also tried to erect a tower at Harris Ace Hardware, 2720 E. Milwaukee St., and, most recently, on the Rock County 4-H Fairgrounds.
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Community says tower will desecrate cemetery grounds
November 2, 2007
LOWER MORELAND TWP., PA - T-Mobile's application for a 130-foot cell tower on the Grounds of Shalom Memorial Park and Forest Hills Cemetery is now in the hands of the Zoning Hearing Board of Lower Moreland Township. The carrier was present at three prior meetings where community residents cited such reasons as religious "desecration" of cemetery grounds, decreased property values, the possibility of an eyesore, as well as potentially serious health concerns. 
 
Board members said that they will come to a decision no later than 45 days after they receive the transcripts from the court stenographer.

T-mobile said that they did not have this type of opposition when they built sites near cemeteries in Lower Merion, Villanova and York. Opponents said that they were concerned that the tower would be visible during visits to the cemetery.

Wireless provider and public safety officials band together
November 1, 2007
COLUMBIA, MO - A federally imposed cap on a fund subsidizing the building of rural cell towers brought together an unusual mix of private and public sector representatives Thursday morning.

The message was simple: Without federal funding for cell-tower construction in rural areas, public safety will take a hit because rural cell phone coverage will stop growing.
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New Jersey high school annual revenue to start at $31,299
October 31, 2007
MIDDLETOWN, NJ - Students of Middletown High School South may be asking, "Can you hear me now?," after the approval of a bid to construct a cell tower on school grounds.

At the October 23 Board of Education meeting, approval was given to New York SMSA Limited Partnership, representing Verizon Wireless, to lease the land to build the tower.

The structure of the rent is $31,299 for the first year, then $32,238, $33,205, $34,201 and $35,227 for each following year.
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Cell tower proposal meets opposition
October 30, 2007
SCHUYLERVILLE, NY - The state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation doesn't believe a proposed 100-foot-tall cell phone tower on Route 29, three-quarters of a mile from the Saratoga Monument, will ruin the views either of the monument or looking from it.
That's according to a letter the village received Monday and distributed at a village Planning Board meeting Monday night devoted exclusively to the project.
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Golf course tower bid withdrawn by Independent Towers
October 29, 2007
CLIFTON PARK, NY - A controversial application for a 130 foot tall cell tower on the Van Patten Golf Course was withdrawn last week. In a letter to the town hall Independent Towers LLC of Albany withdrew their application and stated they will review alternative sites. The company had secured a lease-hold interest on a small piece of golf course property near Main St. and Dryer Drive in Jonesville.
Originally the company wanted to place the tower on property owned by the Jonesville Volunteer Fire Company at station No. 1, 957 Main Street, Jonesville, but the application was withdrawn early in the summer after the fire department made clear to the cell tower company they no longer supported the action.
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Babylon residents voice concerns over cell tower healthy issues
October 28, 2007
BABYLON, NY - Close to 100 residents of the Village of Babylon attended a two-hour public hearing to protest the possible placement of a cell phone tower in a village park near Great South Bay, although the community has not received a formal application.

The tower would generate $3 million over a 30-year term for the village, according to Beacon Wireless, which would build the tower if it is approved.

The Village attorney said the board of trustees would review comments and check with consultants before deciding within four to eight weeks. "We look at it as a health, safety and financial issue," he said.

Many residents said they were concerned about potential health issues.
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Yellowstone's administrators would like tower site relocated
October 25, 2007
BILLINGS, MT - Yellowstone National Park administrators are asking Alltel to consider changing a plan to construct a 115-foot-tall cellular tower just outside the park's north entrance in Gardiner. Although Alltel plans to build the structure within 100 yards of the park at the Rocky Mountain Campground, their plans are only in the exploratory stage, according to a company spokesman.

There are currently five cellular towers inside Yellowstone. Park staff are drafting a telecommunications plan to guide where additional towers could be built. Both the north entrance road and Roosevelt Arch, a distinctive rock structure that marks the gateway to Yellowstone, are in a designated historic district.

Somewhat like, Man Bites Dog, community turns out in favor of cell site
October 26, 2007
NEWPORT NEWS, VA - "It will be a very nice sight to see," said one Hidenwood resident who joined others in welcoming the approval for a 165-foot cell phone tower in their neighborhood by the city council. It's not often that tower owners and carriers hear endearing comments about their plans, but Verizon Wireless was quite pleased with the community's response for a new cell site.

More than 400 people signed a petition for the tower. While more than a handful of supporters spoke before the council in favor of the tower last night, no one spoke against it. In addition to alleviating poor cell phone coverage in the area, homeowners were persuaded by another benefit, their local recreation association will receive approximately $5,000 per month in lease money.
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Colorado officials concerned about what they believe to be tree's sudden growth
October 24, 2007
WOODY CREEK, CO - A stealth cell phone tower in Woody Creek might not be as invisible as it should be, say Pitkin County officials. They're opining that the monopine-type structure needs to be spruced up. They're also saying that it may have grown in size following construction approval.
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Teachers' union enters cell tower flap
October 22, 2007
TINTON FALLS, NJ - The Tinton Falls Education Association filed an unfair labor practices charge against the Board of Education after the Board instructed the district superintendent to send a memo prohibiting staff from signing or distributing a petition opposing a cell tower on school grounds.

Schools Superintendent Richard J. Wesler sent an e-mail to all district staff Sept. 26 titled "petition" alerting them to a petition circulating throughout the Mahala F. Atchison School concerning a proposed cell tower on school property.
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Ohio bill would hinder planned tower growth through new restrictions
October 17, 2007
COLUMBUS, OH - H.B. 84, sponsored by state Reps. Jay Hottinger and Jon Peterson, would change current law by applying restrictions to agricultural land in addition to residential land, and also by allowing objections from landowners within 2,000 feet of the proposed location.

The bill before the Ohio General Assembly Local and Municipal Government and Revitalization Committee would give township governments and township residents new abilities to object to the construction of cell phone towers.

According to the Legislative Service Commission, current township zoning law applies only to towers located on or adjacent to land zoned for residential use, if owners or residents of such land object to the construction.
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T-Mobile location gets failing grade from school board
October 16, 2007
WICHITA FALLS, TX - An 80-foot-tall flagpole installation was turned down unanimously by school board members yesterday after more than forty parents and teachers objected to a proposed T-Mobile cell tower at Ben Milam Elementary School.

The pole, 32-inches in diameter, was shown with its optional flag. No new construction could be erected within the pole's 80-foot shadow - a significant "con" to the proposal, according to school board attorney Angela Michael.

She reported that calls to a couple of campuses in other school districts that had cell phone towers had not uncovered any disadvantages.
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Alternative found for controversial site in California
October 15, 2007
WHITTIER, CA - T-Mobile has said it will rescind controversial plans for installing a cell tower across the street from East Whittier Middle School.

The carrier has reached an agreement with the owner of the Whittier Medical Plaza, 14350 Whittier Blvd., to place the antenna on top of that building.

The Whittier Design Review Board last week unanimously approved the company's plans. Those plans must next be approved by Jeff Collier, director of community development. Collier said he expects to do so in a day or two.

The school board had opposed placing the tower at the Second Church of Christ Scientist, 8723 Catalina Ave.

VFW loses battle with neighbors over flagpole site
October 13, 2007
FAIR LAWN, NJ - The borough has denied a controversial request to erect a 62-foot cell tower in a residential neighborhood.

The Board of Adjustment voted 7-0 against the application yesterday. The plan would have allowed Omnipoint Communications, also known as T-Mobile, to hide the tower inside a flagpole in front of the Fair Lawn VFW Post 281 at 33-02 Morlot Avenue. Approval would have been an exception to zoning ordinances.

The VFW had expected to get up to $2,000 per month from the contract.
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Application fee takes a steep rise in Chili, NY
October 10, 2007
CHILI, NY - The town of Chili was charging developers $900 for processing a new tower application, but recently raised it to $4,000 for each applicant. City officials said the town was charging too little for too much work.

"We basically needed to adjust the fee higher to compensate all the work that needed to be done for each application," said Karelus, manager of Chili's building department. "It takes a lot of work to make sure we are giving the public the best review possible for all the possible locations."

Several other town building officials noted that the process is quite extensive and costly, so fees must be congruent.

Tower might hurt waterfront development, but will help UT games
October 9, 2007   
KNOXVILLE, TN - A recently erected cell phone tower in South Knoxville may mean better service at University of Tennessee football games, but a Knoxville City Council member has said that the tower's installation was lost in the shuffle and he is concerned about the tower's effect on waterfront redevelopment.

The 130-foot tower, shared by Sprint and U.S. Cellular, sits near the corner of Chapman Highway and Hawthorne Avenue, just blocks away from the site of a proposed tower that local officials and preservationists helped block last year.
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Cell site's quick erection to be looked into by officials
October 8, 2007
ORLAND TOWNSHIP, IL - Since most residents and community officials are not aware of how quickly a communications structure can be erected, on occasion they believe it is questionable construction. Tower erectors will surely disagree, but community officials still want to look into the integrity of a quickly constructed tower.

There are some residents in Orland Park who are not happy with the location of the tower and are not happy they did not receive notice from the village or from T-Mobile that the tower was up for approval.
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City sues because it can't get a free ride on American Tower sites
October 6, 2007
GRANITE CITY, IL - American Tower remains steadfast on charging the city $1,500 per month for leasing fees and they are also requesting $4,100 for RF testing to see if the city's police department's antennas provide any interference on ATC's towers on Route 3 and Chain of Rocks Road and on Old Alton Road.

The city filed a lawsuit against ATC because the company would not allow the Granite City Police Department to co-locate antennas at no charge, but negotiations are taking place, according to city aldermen.
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Over objections, California council approves cell tower in city park
October 3, 2007
SUNNYVALE, CA - The Sunnyvale City Council voted 6-1 to deny an appeal against T-Mobile's cell phone tower at Ortega Park near Stocklmeir Elementary School on the city's south side. Some neighbors objected to its aesthetics and the noise it will emit. A T-Mobile engineer compared the sound to a window-mounted air conditioner.

After council members were reluctant to make a motion, Councilwoman Melinda Hamilton said the city is in the business of providing services to people and she thought this is something the community needs.

The city will save as much as $40,000 on improvements T-Mobile will make and will earn $2,000 to $2,300 per month for the city's Community Recreation Fund.

Amended tower ordinance reduces setback requirements
October 1, 2007
TROY, ME - Residents have approved a revised telecommunications ordinance that expands the opportunity for cell phone towers to be locatedf in the community.

The revised ordinance also reduces the area of the "fall zone" from the original ordinance. Towers will now be required to have a buffer area that is 105 percent of their height. The original ordinance called for the zone to be twice the tower's height.

The ordinance also requires tower owners to remove the structures if they are taken out of service for 24 consecutive months.
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