We will follow up with an announcement of the date and time of the public hearing before the Board of Appeals when that information becomes available.
Would you send your child to an elementary school next to a commercial HAZMAT site located on an abandoned pool property?
Check out what the property on the left of this above image looks like up close. The Gazette photo on the left shows you what the area to the left of the red circle above looks like.
The swimming pools have been abandoned and are now filled with brown/green water and who knows what else. The property is in extreme disrepair and the barbed wire fencing to keep kids out is no longer in place. Any child from the elementary school across the parking lot could easily climb into this abandoned swimming pool property and explore the open waters.
Right now, Montgomery County wants to allow the cell tower on the pool property to grow. They want to permit a larger cell tower compound and higher cell tower without addressing the condition of the underlying property! The Board of Appeals has granted the request to enlarge the cell tower compound without hearing from the public.
Montgomery County and MCPS are totally ignoring the incredibly dangerous situation that has been created by the abandonment of this property right across the parking lot from Nix Elementary School in Silver Spring.
Would Board members Patricia O'Neill and Shirley Brandman permit this dangerous condition to exist on the parking lot of any Bethesda elementary school?
Would they sit by and watch as the commercial HAZMAT use of abandoned property was increased next to a Bethesda elementary school?
We know the answer to the above questions is NO!
But, Silver Spring? This is where you can send your kids to school.
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| Roscoe Nix Elementary School is shown on the right side of this Google Street image. All of the parking in this photo belongs to MCPS. Access to the abandoned pool and cell tower site on the left is through MCPS property only. |
Would you send your child to an elementary school next to a commercial HAZMAT site located on an abandoned pool property?
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| Gazette March 26, 2014 article and photo |
The swimming pools have been abandoned and are now filled with brown/green water and who knows what else. The property is in extreme disrepair and the barbed wire fencing to keep kids out is no longer in place. Any child from the elementary school across the parking lot could easily climb into this abandoned swimming pool property and explore the open waters.
Right now, Montgomery County wants to allow the cell tower on the pool property to grow. They want to permit a larger cell tower compound and higher cell tower without addressing the condition of the underlying property! The Board of Appeals has granted the request to enlarge the cell tower compound without hearing from the public.
Montgomery County and MCPS are totally ignoring the incredibly dangerous situation that has been created by the abandonment of this property right across the parking lot from Nix Elementary School in Silver Spring.
Here's the question: Should a property owner be allowed to expand a commercial use of a property while allowing the property to decay to the point of becoming a hazard to neighborhood children who might decide to explore these abandoned pools?
Would Board members Patricia O'Neill and Shirley Brandman permit this dangerous condition to exist on the parking lot of any Bethesda elementary school?
Would they sit by and watch as the commercial HAZMAT use of abandoned property was increased next to a Bethesda elementary school?
We know the answer to the above questions is NO!
But, Silver Spring? This is where you can send your kids to school.
This matter is before the Montgomery County Board of Appeals on September 10th. See Agenda Item #15 below. The issue is that there has been NO public hearing on the request to expand the cell tower on the abandoned pool property.
A request has been made to the Board of Appeals for a public hearing to permit the public to discuss the request to build on this property.
Will the Montgomery County Board of Appeals permit the public to be heard?
Will anyone from the Board of Education speak up on behalf of this elementary school community and advocate for this property to be made safe before any further construction or expansion is allowed?
The condition of this pool property is sad for those unfortunate neighbors living near this blight too. It appears that the Board of Appeals and their DPS Inspectors are not capable of monitoring this property which has not one, but two Special Exceptions. But the worst part of this story is the cavalier attitude of the BOA in granting additional height and approval of a generator on this unmonitored site without noticing adjoining and confronting property owners and interested parties of the cell tower's owners request Wonder if this is the first BOA action like this on a cell tower? It certainly won't be the last considering the make up of this BOA. But to think of it, MCPS sits on the Cell Tower Committee, so they knew about this request and what was happening and said absolutely nothing.
ReplyDeleteHold up, what happened to the NO more cell towers placed on or close to an elementary school. Red zone school again? Oh I'm sorry a "Hope" school?!
ReplyDeleteThe kids we must empower
ReplyDeleteBy erecting the cell tower
To make their brains virile
And to ensure they're sterile.
And everyone will complain when they can't get cell reception ...
ReplyDeleteWhat is so incredibly dangerous about the site? Are you concerned that parents haven't taught their children common sense?
Also,the random use of "HAZMAT" is crazy. OMG! Do you realize you have HAZMAT in your kitchen right now (oven cleaner) and the leftover paint you used to redo your bathroom? And the dead watch batteries in your dresser drawer?
I would suggest educating yourself on environmental laws, regulations, and terminology before throwing them out there to try to agitate others.
Ha Ha! Thanks for the morning laugh. Now, are you ready to pay attention to the FACTS?
DeleteAll cell tower sites in Montgomery County are considered HAZMAT sites by the Montgomery County Fire Department and must register with the fire department as such.
ProTip: If you clicked the link above on the word HAZMAT you would have learned all about this law and about how T-Mobile refused for years to comply!
Thanks for the comment, it was a good morning laugh.
I should think that hazmat or no hazmat is a post dated argument. Being licensed in broadcast radio technology, I can tell you that the hazmat topic should be tertiary at most. Secondary should be the physical access that are allowing children to be put at potential risk. Put the blooming fence up, people. A little brain power from the powers that be would be nice.
DeleteBut most of all, we need to take very serious umbrage with this very cavalier board who play monopoly games with lands and funds that are really under the public dole. Fast and loose with the rules is never a good thing, and this boards history with money and contracts suggest there are other benefits afoot besides oversaturated Verizon coverage.