Briarcliff Heights Community Action Group

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….

1. Ask them to throw out these proposed changes from the telecommunications industry.
2. Tell them that the new code proposes that “monopoles located on public property shall be permitted” (i.e. school)
3. Tell them that industry should not be allowed to dictate the law.
4. Tell them that this will take away our right to public hearings for cell tower placement.
5. Tell them that this gives cell companies the right to appeal if denied and leaves not provision for citizen appeal.
6. Tell them this change would not require the cell company to seek alternate locations.

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

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.

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 the rest of this entry »

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*** FULL TEXT OF GRAND JURY RECOMMENDATION HERE ***    BREAKING NEWS! A grand jury calls for special investigation of the DeKalb County School Board.  In part:

“Recommendation for a Special Grand Jury: Although we have received answers to questions posed to Dr. Cheryl Atkinson, Ms. Ramona Tyson, and Mr. Thomas Bowen, it is clear that the School System remains topheavy and suffers from a perception of conflicts of interest and waste. The citizens of DeKalb County invest a significant portion of their tax dollars in the DeKalb County School System. The perceived effectiveness of the DeKalb County School System also has a significant impact on property values of all homeowners in DeKalb County. In addition, there is the greatest concern for the education of the children of DeKalb County. The DeKalb County School System has been declining in many rankings as compared to other Metro Atlanta school systems as well as various national evaluation methods. We recommend that a Special Grand Jury be convened to investigate the DeKalb County SchoolBoard.”  Read the rest of this entry »

IARC CLASSIFIES RADIOFREQUENCY ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS AS POSSIBLY CARCINOGENIC TO HUMANS
Lyon, France, May 31, 2011 ‐‐ The WHO/International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B), based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer, associated with wireless phone use near the head.

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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.

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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

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/health-research/

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

We are pleased to announce that the N. Druid Hills Residents Association sent a letter December 6, 2011 to the School Board Members and Superintendent backing their residents in the Briarcliff Heights area, imploring the Board to remove the proposed tower from Margaret Harris and open discussions about safer and less residential placement of a tower.

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?