Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2010
Subject: Cresthaven ES PTA To Discuss New School in Fall Zone(?) of Proposed Cell Tower TONIGHT
School cell tower controversies extend beyond siting on school properties. Neighbors have been battling T-Mobile for years as it has been trying to put a cell tower at a swim club next to Cresthaven Elementary School, where T-Mobile has asked the County to relax/ignore the setback to the school property line. The matter is scheduled to return for a remanded County hearing next Tuesday. The Cresthaven PTA will discuss the issue tonight.
The school has just been redone – the old one was razed, and the new one is much closer to where the tower would be located – Cresthaven’s completion date is scheduled for this summer. The new school so close that it would likely be within the fall zone of the tower. This not only creates health and safety issues for the students and employees of this school, it would probably establish precedent for approving cell towers right next to County elementary schools throughout the County.
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FACTS about the proposed cell tower at the West Hillandale Swim Club (WHSC)
ReplyDeleteS-2709:
Previous Hearing dates: January 4, 2008 and February 1, 2008
Board of Appeals hearing: September 17, 2008
Next Hearing Date: March 9, 2010 at 9:30 AM & March 16, 2010 at 9:30 AM
1. There is documented statistical evidence that additional wireless coverage is needed in the area surrounding the West Hillandale Swim Club. This evidence involves an analysis of dropped calls, data traffic, background noise and chatter. It was presented at the County hearing on Feb 1, 2008. Improved wireless coverage This wireless coverage will allow cell phones, blackberries, iphones, and other wireless devices to connect to the network.
2. The proposed cell tower is a monopole with no structures attached. The antenna is actually inside the pole and not visible from the outside. The monopole will look like a flagpole but taller. This design is known as a stealth monopole. It is designed to be as visually unobtrusive as possible. It will be very similar to the cell tower at the Oakview Swimming Pool which shares a parking lot with the Roscoe Nix (K-2) Elementary School. These monopole structures are designed to be very safe and do not simply fall over. Consider the fact that the cell tower at the Oakview Swimming Pool is still intact after the 50 mph wind gusts experienced recently in this area.
3. The safety of the monopole design was discussed at length in the January 4th, 2008 hearing on this matter. (Tr 4 Jan, page 69-70) A letter from Holford & Company, Structural Engineers (Ex 69) states that the towers are “over designed” to be stronger than the safety standard. This design is used in many locations around the County and the country. The tower will be placed as close to the tree line as possible and it will be painted brown so that it will blend in and be visually unobtrusive. (see picture below)
4. The bottom of the monopole will be surrounded by a fence. T-mobile has agreed to hide this fence as much as possible using shrubbery and trees. They have agreed to maintain the landscaping around the structure for as long as the structure is there. A licensed arborist will maintain all of the trees.
5. There will be no fuel (diesel or gasoline) stored at the site. Backup power will be provided by batteries that are chemically equivalent to the batteries in automobiles. This type of battery is safe and is used worldwide.
6. In an effort to raise revenue, members of the WHSC Board have been trying for many years to increase the membership significantly. While membership has increased a small amount, membership dues amount to only enough money to cover the operating costs of the pool. Additional money is needed for infrastructure repairs to maintain the long-term health of the pool. T-Mobile will pay the West Hillandale Swim Club a significant amount of money in rent each year. This rent is the equivalent of approximately 23 family memberships for every year the tower is located at the pool. The money received in rent from the cell tower will provide some financial stability to the pool and allow needed infrastructure repairs to be made.
Additional questions can be directed to J. Harrison, Board Member of the WHSC.
deejaycjay@yahoo.com (Send email with contact number and you will be phoned.)
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Read the evidence for yourself.
The file for S-2709 is in the Hearing Examiners Office in the Stella Werner Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Ave, Rockville MD, 20850 and can be viewed by any member of the public.
Thanks for the update. What is the ACTUAL amount that the facility will receive? Not an estimate that no one can understand, but the actual, factual amount of money? Please post for the public. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteAND
"A licensed arborist will maintain all of the trees."
And the moon is made of green cheese...The Daly Elementary School community found out what this sentence meant - zip.
We have pictures here:
http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2010/01/weasts-cell-tower-jungle-gym-for-kids.html
A lease is only a piece of paper.
The pool would receive around 10,200 per year for the first 5 years with a 3% increase for the following five. Lease is good for twenty years.
ReplyDeleteThe funds could be leveraged to make major improvements to the facility as well as very much needed upgrades and repairs to the infrastructure of the pool. And by the way there are already cell towers on school properties throughout the county. And if anyone bothers to take a look at the topography, notwithstanding the fact that the probablity of a tower collapse is virtually nil, it would likely fall downhill (even though they are usually built to collapse in on themselves) into the pool's parking lot.
@karl
ReplyDeleteAmazing that you are getting half of what the school system gets for monopoles on school property.
Yes, you are correct that monopoles are on school property. How did they get there? The Board of Education didn't approve them. Superintendent Jerry Weast has been signing leases (under the line "Board of Education") and placing the monopoles there, even when the community votes against placement (as at Daly Elementary School).
We negotiated a number of years ago and that was the best we could do at the time. I should also point out that we also get 10% of any amounts T-Mobile charges co-locators. Since most poles have colocators the pool should see additional income but I have no idea what that would be at this time.
ReplyDeleteI can't answer for the School Board or the school system.
Whitman HS is looking at $2,000 a month for a monopole on the baseball field. That's $24,000 a year.
ReplyDeleteWhy is the Hillandale monopole only bringing in $10,200?
http://www.theblackandwhite.net/2009/12/02/proposed-cell-tower-sparks-parent-debate/
The proposed Stealth Monopole (Flagpole) will be 120 feet high. The most recent site plan (Filed March 24, 2010) shows that the closest point of the new Cresthaven school is 135 feet way from the base of the monopole (flagpole).
ReplyDeleteThose measurements to Cresthaven school are not reliable. The monopole would be an unsafe distance from the school.
ReplyDeletewowww
ReplyDelete