School’s Almost Out — Marking for Tower
Today several survey markers were located around the tower location. This one’s marking the road that will be paved for access.
Vote NO Cell Towers on Schools — July 31!
On Tuesday July 31, your vote will count! Let’s send a message to DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis and the DeKalb County School Board.
The referendum will state:
“Should the local or independent school system of DeKalb County or a charter school in DeKalb County place or operate a telecommunications tower on any elementary, middle, or high school property?”
VOTE NO!
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1. We have to win this vote. Start planning now — tell ten people a week from now until July 31. Everyone in DeKalb County can vote. Make plans to remind your contact list the Monday night before the vote! You must be registered to vote by July 2 in order to vote in the July 31 special referendum. For more information: http://web.co.dekalb.ga.us/Voter/default.html
2. Get the vote out — mark you calendar. Polls are open 7am to 7pm. Download to your calendar by clicking this button –> 
3. Get a yard sign AND add on top of it our new VOTE NO JULY 31 signage. Email us at briarcliff.heights@gmail.com with your name & address and we’ll drop a sign off.
Election Year: Who’s Taking Telecom $?
Are you curious what candidates are getting money from telecom (Sprint Nextel, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile)? Checkout federal and state spend by telecom on Georgia State and Federal candidates in this election cycle.
DONATIONS RECEIVED BY STATE CANDIDATES BY TELECOM:
Federal donations received … Read full article…
HB 1299 Cell Tower Referendum Passes Senate
March 29, 2012 Rep. Karla Drenner’s HB 1299 successfully passed the Georgia Senate this week. The referendum calls for voters in the July 2012 election to vote on:
“Should the local or independent school system of DeKalb County or a charter school in DeKalb County place or operate a telecommunications tower on any elementary, middle, or high school property?”
UPDATE: HB 1299 has been approved by the Governor and will appear on a special ballot for vote on July 31. Read more here.
Board of Commissioners — No to Cell Towers
MARCH 28, 2012: The Board of Commissioners noticed DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis about their position that the placement by the School Board and T-Mobile to of cell towers in residentially zoned neighborhoods violates existing zoning policy and law.
“Rather than being passive regarding DeKalb County zoning regulations and ignoring citizen complaints about cell towers in residential zones and on school property, we recommend DeKalb County take a more active role to protect the interests of citizens and uphold adopted ordinances.” The Board of Commissioners — all of whom signed this letter to Burrell Ellis — urge the Planning and Sustainability Department not to issue any building permits for the construction of cell towers on behalf of the Board of Education.
CEO Burrell Ellis Town Hall Meeting
Tuesday, March 13. 
At a town hall meeting at the Eastlake Family YMCA hosted by DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis, members of the Briarcliff Heights Community Action Group spoke with the CEO Burrell Ellis and the Interim Director of Planning and Sustainability, Gary Cornell.
In discussions with the Interim Director of Planning and Sustainability, Gary Cornell was specifically asked to take a stand and to deny a building permit to any entity seeking to put a cell tower on public school property. Gary Cornell is a new “interim” appointee of Burrell Ellis. More on that here and here.
Burrell Ellis is up for re-election this year. Click here to see campaign contributions he’s received so far from telecom (Sprint Nextel = $2500).
Referendum Proposed for July or Nov. Ballot
Our neighbors and other DeKalb County residents at the March 6 hearing on a bill to curb cell phone towers on school properties on HB 1197, being held up by the Georgia House Intragovernmental Coordination Committee. Read full article…
Residents Speak Again At County Commission
See our neighbors speak at the DeKalb County Commission Hearing on February 28, 2012.
ANOTHER Legislative Hearing: HB 1197
Tuesday, March 6 11:00 am, ROOM 515 Coverdell Legislative Office Building (CLOB) Room 515, 18 Capitol Sq SW, Atlanta, GA 30334.
See the full text of HB 1128 (Statewide) and HB 1197 (Covers Schools in DeKalb County).
Bill Would Ban Cell Phone Towers On School Property: MyFoxATLANTA.com
Sen. Jason Carter Submits Senate Bill 498
Sen. Jason Carter‘s bill was submitted today and supported by the DeKalb County Delegation and Sen. Fran Millar.
Bill Sponsored By
(4) Butler, Gloria 55th(5) Jones, Emanuel 10th(6) Thompson, Curt 5th
DeKalb House Delegation Supports HB 1197
February 27, 2012: DeKalb House Delegation met today at the Coverdell Legislative Office Building — where the Environmental Committee (including Rep. Drenner) presented their findings on cell phone towers. Rep. Drenner obtained the remaining signatures needed to support the introduction of the bill.
WSBTV Ch2 was there and reported: Renting school space for cell towers idea sparks debate
FULL TEXT HB 1128 (Statewide) and FULL TEXT HB 1197 (Covers Schools in DeKalb County).
Rep. Karla Drenner Submits House Bill 1128
February 23, 2012: Five representatives — both the Republican and Democrat — co-sponsored Rep. Karla Drenner’s bill today.
(1) Drenner, Karla 86th(2) Jacobs, Mike 80th(3) Taylor, Tom 79th (4) Manning, Judy 32nd(5) Williams, “Coach” 89th(6) Holcomb, Scott 82nd
SUMMARY: A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Code Section 20-2-600 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the leasing of public school property for private purposes authorized, so as to prohibit the leasing of certain public school property for the purpose of erecting telecommunications towers; to provide an effective date; to provide for applicability; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
See also the FULL TEXT of HB 1197 (Covers Schools in DeKalb County).
Legislative Hearing On Cell Towers At Schools
February 21, 2012:
Lawmakers today held a hearing on a proposal to ban cellphone towers from school property. State Rep. Karla Drenner, D-Avondale Estates, plans to introduce legislation banning construction of the towers on school property.
Over fifteen neighbors attended from our Briarcliff Heights neighborhood, as well as concerned parents from MLK, Briarlake, and GET THE CELL OUT ATL. Dr. Drenner is well-versed in the area of radiation and its effects, understands that the lack of research today on cell tower radiation does not necessarily mean towers are safe — calling instead for precautionary measures in the placement of these towers so close to children in their developmental stages. Rep. Drenner has four post-graduate degrees and serves on several House committees related to this issue, including Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications; Health and Human Services; Natural Resources and Environment.
Thank you to Dr. Drenner for her immediate and quick action regarding this issue, and for sponsoring a bill in the House to address the placement of cell towers on school grounds!
Rep. Karla Drenner
Our Residents Speak to County Commissioners
See your neighbors take our message to the County Commissioners on February 14, 2012!
School Board: Fighting Over Cell Tower Money
At this last Wednesday, February 15th School Board Budget, Audit, Finance & Facilities Committee Meeting, Chair Paul Womack raised some “concerns” about how the money received from the nine schools who are “burdened” by the cell towers would be allocated and used by the School Board.
What?!?!? You thought all that money was going to help your school, “burdened” by a cell tower? WRONG. Read the contract carefully. The LANDLORD collecting rent for the tower is the Board of Education of DeKalb County. Nothing in the agreement says anything about the school getting any funds, or even a PTA.
Thanks to DeKalb School Board Watch for reporting on this development. Read the notes from the meeting here. Read full article…
Huge Cell Towers are Non-Residential Visual Nuisances!
So why does T-Mobile want to put one in our neighborhood, when alternate sites are available at several commercially zoned properties nearby, including an approved T-Mobile application for an identical tower at Clairmont and Briarcliff?
Make no mistake, huge 150 foot cell towers are a visual nuisance and detract from the continuity of our this sunset and every neighborhood they are placed in. This one sticks out like a sore thumb against another beautiful Atlanta sunset. See a full video here: 150′ cell towers are HUGE and cannot hide or blend.
Cell Tower "Tree" located off 400 Toll Road near Lenox Road
T-Mobile Alternate Site at Clairmont and Briarcliff?
Why our neighborhood? There is another commercially zoned site available and approved for a 155′ T-Mobile tower that more than covers this neighborhood, right at the corner of Briarcliff and Clairmont. Search for tower locations on your own at: http://www.antennasearch.com
Just how tall is a 150 foot tower?
Lady Liberty at her full 151 feet from base to top of torch.
T-Mobile wants to put a tower in our residential neighborhood that is as tall as the Statue of Liberty in our backyards. Read full article…
Understand the True Scale of 150′ tower.
Check out these photos to see how T-Mobile represents their proposed tower versus in life scale what 150 feet tall really looks like. The car in the picture is a full-size, quad-cab Tundra pickup truck — that stands 6’10″ off the ground.
This is what you will really get, dressed up as a "tree." Taken in Toco Hills.
A truthful representation? This is how T-Mobile would like you to picture the giant redwood tree/tower proposed for Margaret Harris.
More Photos …
Walker Elected New School Board Chair
CrossRoadsNews – Walker elected School Board chair.
The DeKalb Board of Education has a new leader.
Dr. Eugene “Gene” Walker, the District 9 School Board member, is the new chairman of the board.
Walker, who has been on the board since 2008, was elected chairman Jan. 9 with a 6-3 vote from fellow board members. He succeeds District 6 board member Tom Bowen, who was chairman for three years. Bowen was elected vice chair.
Walker said he was humbled and honored to be selected. He said his goal is to continue improving learning and instruction.
“My personal goal is to continue to work to unite the entire board behind this single goal. I’ll act in the best interest of the schoolchildren and to put all other concerns aside.” Read full article…
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