Fair Haven residents are very concerned about plans to erect a cell tower in close proximity to residential homes or schools, for reasons ranging from health risks of living right under a cell tower, all the way to a significant decrease of home values. Some aspects worth mentioning in this context are: People often state that the radiation of a cell tower is much weaker than the radiation of a cell phone next to your ear. This is correct. But nobody has a cell phone next to her ear 24/7, 365 days a year! Permanent low radiation can be worse than temporary high radiation. Do you want to risk your health and the health of your children? People often get excited about the potential tax savings a cell tower might bring. During an earlier town meeting about the cell tower, it was said that the expected income from the cell tower would be approximately $80,000 to $100,000 per year. (This is already on the optimistic side!) Do the math and calculate how much tax savings this would bring to each of you. Maybe something like $20 to $50 per year, depending on the assessed value of your home. Are you willing to risk the health of your family for a few bucks a year? For one or two cups of coffee a month? Most folks do not realize how little the potential tax savings would be! When folks are so concerned about money - what about the value of all the homes in close vicinity to the cell tower? If the cell tower is put up in your neighborhood, expect your home value to take a deep dive! Statistics show that home values in the immediate neighborhood of a cell tower decreased up to 40%! [Reference: Cell Towers: Wireless Convenience? or Environmental Hazard?] Obviously, homes in these areas will have to be re-assessed, lowering the tax income for the Borough from these homes. Leaving all the money matters aside - the biggest concern is about the uncertainty with respect to long-term risks. Nobody knows yet, nobody! Are you willing to take the risk?
Cell phones are a convenience in our daily lives, and they require a certain infrastructure to be deployed (e.g. cell towers). But there is no room for cell towers in residential areas due to the uncertainty of health risks and the impacts they might have on the health and development of our kids (and ourselves, of course!). People have been naïve in the past about the dangers of asbestos, smoking, and the air quality in Manhattan following 9/11. The simple thing that history should teach us is to err on the side of caution. Unfortunately, health and safety questions are often dismissed by the very people we entrust to protect our community welfare - council members, planners and zoners - who have been told they cannot consider such questions (or don't care since they don't live in the neighborhood considered for erecting a new cell tower) If you are interested to learn more about the dangers of cell towers and their impact on their surroundings, the book Cell Towers: Wireless Convenience? or Environmental Hazard? by B. Blake Levitt (Editor) is worthwhile reading. Other relevant resources worthwhile checking out: |