AGAINST a T-Mobile 150' (15 story) cell tower at Margaret Harris Comprehensive School
The DeKalb County School District has undertaken a fast-paced technology plan to make 123 schools and centers wireless by the winter. With a total price tag of $4.5 million, the project is funded through the Special Purpose Local Options Sales Tax. Margaret Harris and 13 other schools have been completed with an average of one access point per two classrooms. Read more about this project at…Margaret Harris Gets Wireless Internet
New Cell Tower Zoning Code Proposed for County: The county is reviewing a proposal to update its zoning code. This has been in the works for years, but part of it directly impacts the placement of cell towers. The cell industry has written its own update and this has been accepted for review in the new code. Obviously this does not help our cause. Currently, we have rights to prevent a cell towers at certain locations based on county zoning codes. This code dis-allows the tower proposed by T-mobile and gives us the right to publicly oppose any variances. The new code would greatly hinder our residential provisions! Our Commissioners are the ones that have the power to adopt these code changes. They have supported us but need to hear from you that they need to pay attention to these changes. Please write our Commissioners. Things to say….
For more information, the new cell phone tower ordinance is at pp. 41-50 at the following link:
http://planningdekalb.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Article4_Master.pdf
The proposed ordinance is mostly a copy of the Model Wireless Telecommunications Facility Siting Ordinance, which is a product of the Wireless Infrastructure Association, a/k/a the Personal Communications Industry Association (PCIA). Click below to view the Model Ordinance at:
http://www.pcia.com/images/Advocacy_Docs/PCIA_Model_Zoning_Ordinance_June_2012.pdf
Contracts have been signed, but no permits have been issued yet for our school.
Below is an e-mail that was sent to DeKalb BOC on March 26.
Dear Commissioners,
Today we had a bit of a fire drill for cell tower construction at the schools. Construction crews showed up at our neighboring school, Margaret Harris Comprehensive School. A neighbor there put out the alert and several of us put out calls to the county code compliance number and to Commissioners Rader and Boyer. It was determined that there was no permit and ultimately the work crew left. Hurray for the system! Thank you Jeff Rader and Bob Lundsten for your quick efforts!
This event brings a good opportunity for a reminder of the issue. T-mobile is still in contract with the DeKalb BOE to erect 9 cell towers on 9 school properties. Thanks to your letter sent to the DeKalb BOE last year, I know that you are committed to keeping our school yards safe and protecting the integrity of our neighborhoods by upholding county code. It was written almost exactly one year ago on March, 27! How’s that for timing?! Here is a link to that letter for your reference:
http://www.nobriarlaketower.org/updates/bocrecommendsdekaklbceoupholdlocalzonongregs
I’d like to thank you all for your continued commitment to keep our school yards safe and our neighborhoods intact. We are working to inform the new DeKalb BOE members of the issue of the towers in hopes that they will cancel or end the contract. If you have the opportunity, we’d appreciate you passing a word to them as well.
Sincerely,
NBT
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
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 …
Here is a copy of the plan for the tower that puts the tower less than 200 feet (192′ to be exact) from the door where every day children are dropped off by bus. In case you were wondering, there are published studies in the US as recently as 2010 documenting that children are more susceptible to RF radiation.
Dr. Cheryl Atkinson, Dekalb Co School Board Superintendent
Dr. Atkinson thoughtfully sent each of us who spoke at last Monday’s School Board meeting a letter outlining her assertions that the School Board provided notice to the community of Briarcliff Heights. I will cut to the text that appears in most the letters:
“After much discussion and receipt of public input, the Board of Education voted to approve the placement of T-Mobile cell towers on properties owned by the DeKalb County School District. Over a period of time between 2010 and 2011, three presentations regarding cell towers were made during Budget, Finance, and Facilities Committee meetings. These meetings were announced and open to the public. Prior to the vote in July, public information sessions were advertised and held at each site slated to receive a cell tower. Citizens provided comments and information regarding cell towers during televised Board meetings in June and July. The AJC and other local newspapers provided press coverage regarding the issue. Finally, before the final vote was taken on July 11, 2011 during the monthly Board meeting, the Board of Education held an extensive discussion regarding placement of cell towers on school properties.”
In rebuttal:
We just learned today that the Margaret Harris contract was signed by the School Board on December 1, 2011 and countersigned by T-Mobile on December 8, 2011.
By Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Atkinson and Board of Education Chairman Thomas E. Bowen.
Cell Tower Lease_Margaret Harris Center
Detailed plans for the site: Exhibit B Margaret Harris
If you would like a yard sign placed in your yard, please contact us with your name and address. We’ll bring one right over!
briarcliff.heights@gmail.com
Requested an electronic copy of any and all signed contract(s) between the Dekalb County School System/Dekalb County Board of Education and T-Mobile, specifically with regard to the Margaret Harris Comprehensive School.
Sent this email to the principals of Margaret Harris and IHM tonight:
The local neighborhood, which contains a number of health care professionals, have been collecting published scientific studies investigating the safety of these large cell towers. On our site posted a number of published scientific, peer-reviewed articles and information regarding documented health effects.
Please take a few moments and check out our site page here: http://briarcliffheights.org/
We are deeply concerned for the health and safety of the entire neighborhood, including your students. We urge you to research this issue on your own.
Regards,
Briarcliff Heights Community Action Group
In case you needed even more proof that these towers are dangerous, take a look at all the notices on the next closest 150′ tower located near Toco Hills (LaVista Road and N. Druid Hills). Worker’s health is important enough for the Federal Government to issue these OSHA-style warnings to workers.
Warnings regarding RF exposure levels at the base tower, posted on the barbed wire fence.
Cell Tower Fire: http://www.wsbtv.com/videos/news/emergency-crews-worry-cell-tower-may-fall-after/vFQDs
December 4, 2011: In Lilburn, GA at least two homes and a daycare were evacuated after a cell tower caught fire at the intersection of 592 and Rockbridge Road. According to Gwinnett County Fire Captain Tommy Rutledge, the fire is believed to have been sparked by a telecommunications contract company working on the tower.
After the blaze was extinguished, the tower began to lean and as a result, the fire department setup a fall zone for the tower. The owner of the tower said they plan to demolish the structure.
Have you asked yourself this question recently? Don’t we pay enough in TAXES?
Especially considering that DeKalb County voters overwhelmingly voted 63 to 37% in favor SPLOST, a tax levied especially for DeKalb County Schools to “generate $475 million for dozens of capital projects, including new buildings, new roofs, air-conditioning systems, even smart boards in every classroom. ”
There’s no shortage in the education budget for DeKalb County. The SPLOST program, which runs from 2007-2012, is expected to raise $513.4 million. What’s this $2.5 M over 30 years contract for?
These cell phone contracts are paltry amounts of money in exchange for an endangerment of students and residents, as well as an encumbrance of our property.
Which schools are really going to get the money? What happens when DeKalb County decides to close any one of these schools in the next three decades?
We couldn’t get any more answers about the contract at Monday’s School Board Meeting. Yesterday, Briarcliff Heights resident and attorney Joe Staley sent the following Open Records request to the School Board to try and get to the bottom of what is actually in the T-Mobile contract, who would sign it, and if it’s even signed yet….
Coverage on the issue and our fight: Briarcliff Patch, 29 November 2011
By Emma Harger November 29, 2011: Neighbors of the Margaret Harris Comprehensive School said they were not notified of a proposed cell phone tower on school property, but now that they know about it, they are actively fighting it.