Group starts petition opposing cell tower

A group of Kalispell residents and parents spoke out against a proposal to grant permission to Verizon Wireless to build a cellular tower on the roof of Flathead High School at a school board meeting Tuesday.

Installing cellular towers at schools has raised questions in communities around the country, not only in terms of potential health impacts, but also with public schools entering into commercial enterprises as an alternative source of revenue.

Verizon is asking for the school district’s permission to install, maintain and operate “communications equipment” — currently a cellular tower. A platform and enclosure will be approximately 23 feet tall from the rooftop and will camouflage the cellular tower. A “balloon test” is scheduled on May 15 to check height and visibility of the structure. Administrators maintain that the tower won’t be visible from ground level.

The building and rooftop lease agreement would start with a five-year term beginning July 1 if approved by the school board. The contract would automatically be extended for four additional five-year terms if it is not terminated by Verizon.

If approved, Verizon would cover construction costs of building the cell tower in addition to paying the school district $1,700 in monthly rent ­— a total of $20,400 annually. The money would go into the high school district budget. It has not been discussed how the money would be used.

Since learning about the cell-tower proposal, residents opposing the plan have formed the “Committee for Responsible Information on the Health of Children and Cell Tower Exposure.” The committee’s top concerns are the possible health effects of exposure to the radio frequency radiation emitted by cell towers.

The American Cancer Society, however, doesn’t link increased health problems to being near cellular towers. According to www.cancer.org: “Some people have expressed concern that living, working, or going to school near a cellphone tower might increase the risk of cancer or other health problems. At this time, there is very little evidence to support this idea. In theory, there are some important points that would argue against cellular phone towers being able to cause cancer.”

The American Cancer Society states that compared to X-rays and ultraviolet light, the energy level of radio frequency signals emitted by cellphone towers is relatively low. The American Cancer Society notes that the levels near cellphone towers “are not significantly different from the background levels of radio frequency radiation in urban areas from other sources, such as radio and television broadcast stations.”

“The energy of radio frequency waves given off by cellphone towers is not enough to break chemical bonds in DNA molecules, which is how these stronger forms of radiation may lead to cancer,” the website states.

The World Health Organization also concludes that “current evidence does not confirm the existence of any health consequences from exposure to low level electromagnetic fields. However, some gaps in knowledge about biological effects exist and need further research.”

The neighborhood committee, however, sees a link between adverse health effects and cellular towers based on its own research.

The group is circulating a petition opposing the cellular tower at Flathead that resident Patricia Johnson reports had more then 200 signatures by Tuesday. Another petition was recently posted online at www.change.org and had garnered 94 signatures by Thursday.

Johnson is a concerned parent of a Flathead student and lives near the school.

“Cellphone towers emit radio frequencies that are extremely harmful to the functions of the human body. There are many communities that are banning cell towers from school grounds and the International Association of Firefighters has disallowed them from fire halls until a comprehensive study can be performed on the health effects of radiation,” Johnson said.

Johnson said that locating a cell tower on the roof of Flathead would be “a poor investment,” in students, staff and the community, as well as possibly opening up the school to liabilities.

Erin Blair, who is also a parent of a Flathead student living near the high school, echoed similar concerns.

“I think that if you spend as much time reading over the information that we’ve provided, it would be hard to imagine that there isn’t a possibility that this could be a very dangerous decision,” Blair said. “I don’t want it. I don’t want it by my house. I wouldn’t want it to be a mile from my house let alone a block away from it. I think it will affect our property values and our health.”

Resident Ming Lovejoy said the committee recognizes the school district is under tight budget constraints, but felt the potential health risks outweigh the additional revenue from a lease agreement.

Resident Kay Walker voiced concerns that information about the proposal wasn’t posted on the district’s website until seven days after a 30-day public commenting period opened. Resident Tom Rygg commented that there wasn’t enough information posted. This may be due to some information allegedly being proprietary. Both residents noted that they had to make a few phone calls to the district to learn more.

Rygg also took issue with the amount of money Verizon initially offered to pay the school district in addition to preliminary lease agreement terms.

“I’m going to leave you with a story my dad told me when he first got a Ford franchise in Whitefish. This is back in the ’40s. Somebody in Ford Motor Company told him if there’s anything in this contract that’s in your favor then we overlooked it, and that’s what you’ve gotta keep in mind when your dealing with somebody like Verizon. They’ve done this,” Rygg said, referring to a preliminary lease agreement, “We’re rookies. We don’t know what we’re getting into.”

This is not the first time that Verizon has made a deal to locate a cellular tower on school property, according to Meagan Dorsch with Verizon Wireless’ corporate communications department. The number of schools where Verizon has cellular sites, however, is proprietary information, as is how much rent the corporation has paid in exchange, according to Dorsch.

Currently, a Verizon cellular tower is located at Memorial Field in Whitefish, which is in the vicinity of Whitefish High School. The lease money has gone toward capital improvements at the park.

Dorsch said the corporation is always looking to find locations where “cell sites” can be located to meet current and future customer demand for wireless coverage.

“Where we place a cell site is dependent on many factors – including proximity to other cell sites, topography, customer demand, local zoning requirements and more. Placing a cell site is not a one-size-fits-all play. Just because someone would like to be a landlord, or advocates moving an existing site, does not mean it would fit within our engineering needs and requirements,” Dorsch said.

She said that Verizon makes efforts to meet customer needs while ensuring the site “is designed to integrate into the aesthetics of the community.”

“Our goal is to always be a good neighbor, wherever we build a cell site. We look forward to working with the community to find a solution that will meet local needs,” she said.

In regard to radio frequency emissions and its health impacts, Dorsch said: “Verizon fully complies with all standards and operates well within the safety guidelines set by the FCC. Additionally, we work with local jurisdictions to ensure all applicable federal, state and local regulations are followed.”

The central office of Kalispell Public Schools, 233 First Ave E., has agreed to let community members use its basement conference room to screen the documentary “Generation Zapped,” which explores the potential dangers of prolonged exposure to radio frequencies from wireless technology. Screenings are scheduled at 3:30 p.m. on April 30 and May 7. Additional screenings will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. May 3 and May 8-9 at Flathead High School, 644 Fourth Ave. W., in the auditorium.

The deadline to submit comments on the proposal is May 11. Public comments may be emailed to the school district at kornickb@sd5.k12.mt.us; or mailed to Beth Kornick, 233 First Ave E., Kalispell, MT 59901.

The school board may vote on the proposal at a school board meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 15, in the Kalispell Middle School library.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.