Proposed cell tower by school worries neighbors

HORIZON WEST  Less than a decade ago, Internet access on cell phones was a pipe dream for many, often too great an expense.

Today, social expectations include Internet connectivity from almost anywhere — even where Wi-Fi is unavailable — via data usage.

But this technology comes at the cost of transmitters broadcasting powerful waves that might cause harm to those in the immediate vicinity, like overexposure to almost any type of radiation. That immediate vicinity for a proposed 140-foot Horizon West cell pole includes Sunset Park Elementary.

Orange County Case Planner Rocco Relvini hosted a March 2 community meeting about this proposal at the school, because a variance approved by the Board of County Commissioners would be necessary for this structure to be within 700 feet of single-family homes.

Relvini said all parties within a 700-foot radius — including 34 homeowners — had been given fair notice. But residents said principal Janet Bittick had not known about the meeting until March 1 — only because a parent had mentioned it — and that all Sunset Park parents should know of it.

Lauralee Westine spoke on behalf of Crown Castle USA, the company intending to construct the monopole tower at the northeast corner of Fire Station 35, near Lake Burden Shops. She said densely populated areas often can have cell towers about a mile apart. District 1 Orange County Commissioner S. Scott Boyd said the closest tower was on Chase Road, about 1.3 miles away.

“There is somewhat of a sweet spot,” Westine said, referring to how towers too close can cause frequency issues and towers too far apart can cause gaps in service.

Residents asked about links to cancer, neurological damage and other hazards of cell towers’ electromagnetic fields, as well as the basis of signs warning people to stay away and a 3,600-square-foot fence surrounding this proposed tower. Westine said the 700-foot buffer was due to aesthetics, not risks cancer experts had not been able to determine yet. Most residents said inconclusiveness was not acceptable.

“Years ago, we thought asbestos was safe, and smoking was safe, and lead paint was safe, and red M&Ms were safe — and it turns out they weren’t,” resident Tory Jackson Parish said. “I don’t think we’ve been around these things long enough to say they are truly 100% safe. … If you’re saying the only thing we can argue is aesthetics, we’re prepared to argue aesthetics.”

The Federal Communications Commission governs these emissions, not local governments, Westine said.

Another applicant had sought an 80-foot tower, but that would cause less separation and a possible need for more towers than just one taller pole, Boyd said. Westine said maximizing the service potential of each pole has been the goal, especially considering this process should take about 18 months, with taller poles projecting farther.

Crown Castle USA’s pole would have no external wires or lights, and Verizon Wireless would be the first carrier with a transmitter on the pole, Westine said. This location is based on an Orange County survey requesting certain spots for cell towers, she said.

For the locations of FCC-registered cell towers of varying types and sizes, visit CellReception.com. About 35 such locations are listed for West Orange County.

The Board of Zoning Adjustment will host a hearing on this proposal April 7 in the Orange County Administration Building, 201 S. Rosalind Ave., Orlando. For more information on this proposal, contact Relvini at [email protected] or Westine at (727) 773-2221 or [email protected].

Contact Zak Kerr at [email protected].