skpgirl

I've lived in Rainbow's End for almost 17 years. It is, in fact, many residents of Rainbow's End who object to having a 300 foot cell tower in our community. A "vocal minority" may be the opinion of some, but there was no polling done by CARE's manager or board of directors. They have no idea how many property owners are for or against having a cell tower here. Nor do they know how many property owners use AT&T's service, as opposed to other cell services. They just decided that it was good for our community because it was good for AT&T users and CARE's bottom line, and never notified any of us (or Escapees, for that matter), that they were considering such a project. No meetings, no information, no announcements, no consideration for the community that has supported CARE from its very inception. We haven't even been allowed to discuss the issue on our own Park Email system, but are being disparaged for not being blindly supportive of CARE. Some of us "naysayers" do have worries about the possible health effects of RFR, mainly because a cell tower will mean uncontrolled exposure for everyone who lives here. We can't turn it off like a cell phone or router. So please forgive us for wanting to have a choice, particularly with the 5G service (which CARE claims won't be on the tower). Health experts who are studying it, will tell you that, "We don't know what we don't know." Other studies on the health effects of cell towers are available, along with the ones from other countries that are far ahead of the U.S. on this issue. Mock if you need to feel somehow superior, but know that you're just like the smoker blowing your smoke in our faces. (Speaking of... it took 50 years for the health industry to figure out that tobacco was killing us, while Big Tobacco still contended that it was safe.) Some of us are also concerned with the values of our property, since many of us have investments upwards of $100,000 in our homes. The National Realtors Ass'n has done studies showing that properties within 500 yards of cell towers can lose sale value of 10 - 20%, simply due to a buyer's mere perception that cell towers cause health issues. That, and who wants the ugly equivalent of a 30-story building in their back yard or right down the block? I'd rather see the moon rise without a monstrous metal tower and flashing red light in my night sky, thank you. I've not heard a single objector make any claims about brain damage from cell phone towers, and find it to be pretty insulting that some of you disparage others on the basis of your opinion about OUR concerns and knowledge on the issue. One of the people objecting to this tower build, happens to have a PhD in Physics, and took meter readings in areas of Rainbow's End. Our exposure levels (having 5 other towers within a 2 mile radius, the tallest being less than 1/2 mile from CARE) are already above that of the established permissible limits for radiofrequency radiation in Europe. But some of you seem to think that's not a valid enough concern, because YOU want better AT&T service here. Have you looked at CARE's tax returns? The money that CARE would receive for the AT&T lease, is less than 10% of their average annual contributions. As well, those dollars would presumably be taxed as income unrelated to the business. With the 14 new sites currently being built, the higher rate they plan on charging for those sites, and the fact that they're building them for minimum upkeep, I would think that the piddly $1000 per month from a cell tower lease is not going to make or break them... given proper management of funds. Kay Peterson was a friend and client of mine. She'd NEVER have favored bringing anything into this community that had the slightest possibility of a health hazard for any of us - most especially to the people who live at CARE! So, for those of you who don't have any skin in this game, I would suggest that your opinions don't count for much, and your insults aren't appreciated. If you'd offered your expertise or your own research in order to educate us, that would have been more welcome. If you want better cell service while you're here, there are options that won't affect the permanent residents of this park. For those of you who may live here, I would encourage you to talk to your neighbors and listen to their concerns, instead of making fun of them. Some of us don't really care about cell service or wireless everything for the future, and some of us aren't going to live long enough to waste time worrying about any health issues a tower might cause. The truth is that none of us have all the answers here. Just because a person objects to a 300 foot tower in the vicinity of their home, doesn't mean that they don't support CARE. If you're worried about their loss of potential income, perhaps you can donate more liberally.