Schoolyards no place for cell towers

A fellow Realtor in my office asked me recently about plans for a 160-foot cell tower proposed at Buchanan Middle School in Tampa after her client lost interest in buying a home in our neighborhood because of it.

The neighborhood I live in, Woodbriar Village, is adjacent to the school, and our homeowners association is registered with the Hillsborough County Office of Neighborhood Relations. So it came as a surprise that we had not received notification of a pending special use hearing. My colleague's query was the first I'd heard about this proposed tower.

After some research, I discovered that other nearby neighborhoods had not been notified, although others miles away in Lutz and Brandon had received notices. The explanation that I received for this error in notification from the planning department was that we were not on the correct contact list.

Although it does not appear that the normal notification guidelines are being followed, our request to reschedule the hearing due to incorrect notification has not been approved.

A bigger issue affecting the entire county is whether school principals - who do a fine job as administrators - should have sole authority to accept or reject cell towers on school property. A school receives a percentage of the revenue when a tower goes up on its property - and the school board is out of the loop.

Why have our elected officials shirked their responsibility and turned these far-reaching decisions over to school principals? Our schools are entering long-term contracts, which expose them to liabilities from future lawsuits. Should our school system and taxpayers be exposed to such risks?

A 160-foot cell tower is a non-conforming structure for both school and residential property. Additionally, it appears the detrimental effects on the surrounding neighborhoods are not being given the serious consideration they deserve in this decision-making process.

Our schools have many excellent programs that can always use additional funding, but the lower property values in adjoining neighborhoods caused by the placement of these cell towers more than offset the income generated for the school.

Our friends and neighbors have homes located within 75 feet of the tower proposed for Buchanan Middle. These homeowners not only face a seriously depreciated value, but risk not being able to sell their homes at any price.

Given the inconclusive results of numerous studies on the long-term health effects from radiation emitted by cell towers, clearly schoolyards are not the proper location for these structures.

I have been informed by county planning and hearing personnel that a federal law exists that prohibits raising health concerns at this hearing, even though the Food and Drug Administration recommends a policy of "prudent avoidance" of cell phone radiation, especially around children.

A stand needs to be made now to stop the infiltration of cell towers into our neighborhoods. The hearing to consider this special use request is scheduled for tonight at 6 on the second floor of the county building on Kennedy Boulevard in Tampa.

Ask yourself if these towers are something you would want in your backyard.