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Military版 - Fake palm tree makes residents scared
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话题: tower话题: mesa话题: cell话题: at&t话题: residents
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Fake palm tree makes residents scared
http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2012/11/16/cell-towers-near-home
Cell Towers Near Homes? Battle in Mesa, Ariz., Typifies Fears Nationwide
By Krisanne Alcantara | Posted Nov 16th 2012 7:05PM
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Though palm trees evoke an idyllic desert oasis, that's hardly the case for
frustrated residents of Mesa, Ariz. That's because a "palm tree" set to be
planted in the Phoenix suburb isn't what it seems: It's a camouflaged
cellular tower.
In late October, the Federal Communications Commission ordered service
provider AT&T to construct the now-infamous "cell phone tower palm" on a
vacant lot in a residential neighborhood of East Mesa in order to fill gaps
in the community's service coverage. To make the tower less obtrusive, AT&T
plans to disguise it as a palm tree (like the tower pictured above) --
except that, at 70 feet tall and with no actual palms around it, it would be
obvious that it's not a real tree. Residents liken the action of disguising
the tower to "putting lipstick on a pig."
"We live in a residential area of one-story homes, and our nearby commercial
area has buildings with a maximum height of 30 feet," David M. Brown, a six
-year Mesa resident, told AOL Real Estate. "They say they want to
contextualize this palm-tree tower by putting three or four actual palm
trees around it. But real palm trees aren't anywhere near 70 feet tall, and
[it would] take years before they'd reach that height. It would literally
tower above the community."
The brouhaha in East Mesa spotlights ongoing battles around the country over
the construction of cell phone towers in residential areas. Aside from cell
towers being considered "eyesores," some residents and experts argue that
they are dangerous. Long-term exposure to radiation from cell towers is
suspected by some of causing cancer and other maladies, though the American
Cancer Society says that most scientists view that as unlikely.
But any possible health risk from the cell tower has further stoked the
oppostion from Mesa residents, who said they are outraged because they were
given little warning or information before the plan to erect the cell phone
tower was finalized. An AT&T spokesperson said, however, that the company
strictly followed the City of Mesa's notification requirements. Residents
received a letter in the mail from the site acquisition firm, the FM Group,
on behalf of AT&T on Oct. 29 informing the community that a final decision
would be reached by Nov. 13.
Due to severe backlash from residents, the vote was delayed indefinitely by
the Mesa Board of Adjustment until a community meeting was to be held,
currently scheduled for early December. It's a delay that gives residents
more time to protest the construction of the tower -- even though many
recognize the demand for better service coverage in the area.
"I do realize that AT&T needs this cell-phone tower -- we're not against the
tower itself. It just doesn't need to be so close to our homes," said East
Mesa resident Cory Barham, who lives about 400 yards from the site of the
proposed cell tower. "Apart from the tower being so tall, we all feel that
property values will go down if they build it so close. Most people I know
wouldn't want to buy a house near a cell phone tower."
According to Barham and Brown, plummeting real estate values is one of the
biggest concerns of East Mesa residents, and local Realtors agree.
"I would predict that the real estate market in Mesa would take quite a hit
if they were to go ahead and build the tower," said Realtor Carole Wilson,
who is based in Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and Mesa. "So I
absolutely understand the concern."
Particularly in a lower-middle-class area like East Mesa, which already has
been hit hard by the housing crisis (resale home values in the area have
plunged up to 60 percent), throwing an obtrusive and potentially dangerous
cell tower into the mix would be like "twisting the knife," residents said.
"My feeling is that most of our community is against the building of this
cell phone tower," added Barham. "We don't want it anywhere near our homes
and our families."
According to the project's architect, Michael Fries, three alternative
locations for the tower have been examined in the wider Mesa area, but
either zoning was not possible in those locations or the owner of the lot
declined to negotiate. (Story continues after the video.)
Video | News | Weather | Sports
'Who Knows What's a Safe Level?'
Amid forceful community backlash, AT&T defended itself, saying that it is
continually working with the East Mesa community to listen to and allay
residents' concerns. AT&T has been especially focused on pacifying
widespread concern regarding an alleged link between cell phone towers and
diseases such as cancer. The service provider continues to reassure worried
residents such as Barham that studies on the topic remain inconclusive and
that all necessary health and safety regulations set by the FCC will be
strictly adhered to.
"AT&T operates its networks in compliance with FCC-required emission
standards," AT&T spokesman Dave Cieslak told AOL Real Estate. "And this
proposed site will also be operated within FCC standards for health and
safety."
But these FCC standards, according to Dr. Joel Moscowitz, director of the
Center for Family and Community Health at the University of California, are
based upon findings that are both outdated and limited in scope. According
to Moscowitz, the health and safety regulations implemented by the FCC are
based on research conducted in 1996 and only take into account the thermal
effects of "microwave radiation" disseminated by cell transmission towers.
They do not take into account non-thermal effects of exposure, Moscowitz
said.
"Though it's harder to make causal inferences with cell towers [versus cell
phone usage], a fair amount of studies show that long-term exposure around
cell towers increases the risk of health problems that are largely
neurological in nature," said Moscowitz. "For example, ringing of ears,
headaches, memory problems, allergy-like symptoms, increased electro-
sensitivity and potentially a greater risk of cancer."
Moscowitz's conclusions have been echoed by several international studies. A
recent study in Ukraine suggests that exposure to cell phone towers
substantially induces cancer progression in humans:
"The carcinogenic effect ... is typically manifested after long-term
exposure," the study states. "Nevertheless, even a year of operation of a
powerful base transmitting station for mobile communication resulted in a
dramatic increase of cancer incidence among population living nearby."
Another recent study in Germany linked cell phone base stations to a
significant negative impact on sleep quality for nearby residents. Civic
bodies across the world have also been wary of a link between cell phone
tower exposure and health risks. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corp. in India
recently banned the installation of cell phone towers near educational
institutions and hospitals. (Implementing such bans is difficult in the
United States, where the Telecommunications Act of 1996 prohibits state and
local governments from regulating the placement of cell phone towers on the
basis of possible health effects, if the facilities meet FCC standards for
emissions).
Moscowitz warned that though there are findings that show there are no
harmful effects of cell tower exposure, these can be traced back to
researchers and organizations "beholden to the telecommunications industry"
and that have a huge but largely hidden conflict of interest.
Despite questions surrounding the impact of cell phone towers on health,
Cieslak said that AT&T still plans to move forward with the zoning process
and that construction on its Mesa tower is expected to begin once a
community meeting has taken place and "all government approvals have been
acquired." Both the FCC and AT&T maintain that exposure to residents is at
low and safe levels.
"But who knows what is a safe level?" Moscowitz asked.
A Widespread Problem
As of 2010, there were 252,000 cell towers in the U.S. alone, and the
concerns over the AT&T tower in Mesa is certainly not a lone case. Over the
years, residents across the country have fought proposed cell phone towers
in their neighborhoods, echoing many of the same concerns as the residents
of East Mesa.
In 2010, 700 El Cerrito, Calif., residents protested the construction of a
proposed T-Mobile tower there. In 2011, homeowners in Eureka Springs, Ark.,
fought unsuccessfully to halt the construction of a 200-foot-tall Smith
Communications Tower in town. And in a similar case, irate Raleigh, N.C.,
residents failed to stop construction of a 180-foot-tall AT&T cell phone
tower "in their backyard."
Though the construction of the towers does go ahead in many places where
they've caused controversy, sometimes communities do triumph over
telecommunications companies.
Last year, the city of Las Cruces, Texas, shut down a request to erect a 60-
foot Verizon cell-phone tower in the neighborhood. That move may or may not
have been subtly influenced by an incident in which a metal "palm tree frond
" fell from a cell tower in nearby El Paso and punctured the windshield of a
car (pictured at left) injuring its driver. The city of Rockland, Maine,
rejected a proposal to erect a 100-foot cellphone tower earlier this year.
Similarly, in Belmont Shore, Calif., the Bay Shore Community Congregational
Church shut down negotiations to have a cell tower installed into the bell
tower of their church, despite the lure of big money for its coffers.
"There were oppositions from the local residents, particularly in homes
directly surrounding the church," said Bay Shore Community Congregational's
pastor, Rev. Charles Ensley. "Thus, we did not figure it was in the best
interest of the community or the congregation, so construction did not go
ahead."
The residents of East Mesa are hoping for a similar fate. Both Brown and
Barham said that their community is not interested in engaging in a messy "
David-and-Goliath" battle. They'd rather sit down and discuss options and
alternatives with AT&T and the Board of Adjustment. According to Brown, East
Mesa residents aren't concerned with winning against "the big, bad
telecommunications giant" -- they simply want to preserve their community.
"AT&T has been helpful and kind, everyone involved has been very helpful,"
Brown said. "We're not looking for villains here. We're looking for
solutions."
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话题: tower话题: mesa话题: cell话题: at&t话题: residents