Huntington Beach will move cell phone tower

Article in http://www.ocregister.com

Monday, April 27, 2009

Huntington Beach will move cell phone tower
T-Mobile could be reimbursed up to $50,000 for construction already done next to school.

By ANNIE BURRIS

HUNTINGTON BEACH City leaders unanimously voted Monday night to move a cell phone tower that was slated to be built next to Harbour View School and sparked public outcry.

The City Council also said it would reimburse T-Mobile up to $50,000 for construction already done for the tower and directed city staff to renegotiate with the cell phone company for a new tower location.

"I think it is going to be a partnership between T-Mobile and the city to address the community's concerns," said Councilman Don Hansen. "We both need to go back to the drawing board now."

The council also asked staff to change city rules to require notification of local residents when future cell phone sites are planned to be built within 500 feet of a school. The changed rules will need to come back to the City Council for an official vote.

This decision was met with applause from the 200 parents and residents who attended the meeting and had expressed concerned that the cell phone tower could cause cancer. About 20 public speakers addressed the council thanking them for their decision and asking for more notification about changes in their neighborhood.

"I am thrilled that all of you voted as you did to help take care of the situation for our children," said resident Tay Norton. "I pray that what you learn from this is anything proposed on a school site or a playground that you stop and make a public hearing. The seven of you might not have information that hundreds of us have."

T-Mobile will stop construction of the cell phone tower until an agreement is reached with the city, the cell phone company said in a statement to The Orange County Register on Monday.

Mayor Keith Bohr had called an emergency City Council meeting to reconsider the T-Mobile contract after about 150 parents and neighbors attended a town hall at Harbour View on Thursday night. Residents had asked why they were not notified of the construction and one fourth grader had started a petition signed by other students asking that the tower be removed.

The cell phone tower was approved by the council Jan. 20 and was expected to bring the city $2,500 a month for up to 20 years. The city and T-Mobile were not legally required to notify the residents of the construction, city spokeswoman Laurie Payne said.

T-Mobile said that the cell phone tower is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, "which sets conservative, science-based radio frequency emission guidelines to protect the health of citizens."

There are four cell phone towers at Huntington Beach High School, Payne said. Ocean View School District's board policy has been to not allow cell phone towers on their school sites, Superintendent Alan Rasmussen said.

Rasmussen and Ocean View board President Norm Westwell said they were not notified about the tower construction.

Contact the writer: aburris@ocregister.com or 714-932-1619

电讯塔反对有理

文摘自中国报北马版言必有衷

文梁俊琳

反對電訊塔的聲浪，這幾年來都鬧得沸沸騰騰，然而，這些聲浪似乎無補于事，電訊塔還是一座接一座設立起來。

　當在電訊塔是否有幅射還在爭議的階段時，檳州政府要使檳州成為全檳免費無線上網，也召來一些組織的反對，認為全檳籠罩在無線上網的氣氛下，傷害人體健康。

　原本，全檳免費無限上網對我而言，是一項好消息，因為我在外面採訪時傳新聞回公司很方便，並沒有將反對無限上網的聲浪當作一回事。

　那天，地球時刻的來臨，檳州政府響應非政府組織的號召，在政府大廈熄燈，同時安排記者晚上登高光大64樓，拍攝全檳開燈與熄燈的夜景。

　我就被派到上去那兒拍照，一上到上面，映入眼廉的盡是電訊塔，第一次這麼靠近電訊塔，還在它的旁邊拍照。

　在那兒待了一小時，就下樓回去了，一到光大樓下，就覺得有點暈，以為是因為剛才站在高空懼高才會有此症症狀，就不以為意，但回到家還沒休息時，就感覺沒來由的頭痛，于是提早休息。

　隔天睡醒頭就更痛，后來詢問一起上去拍照的同業，原來大家都頭痛，還延續了兩天。

　在此，讓我了解了為何那批非政府組織極力反對電訊塔和全檳無線上網，這並不是沒有根據，只是平時我們沒有近距離接觸電訊塔，所以沒有感受到，但若電訊塔就在你家附近，每天近10多個小時的接觸，試想多年之后又會怎樣呢？

　也許，州政府高官可以在空檔時上他們辦公室頂端光大天台吹吹風，每天上去一個小時，親身體驗，就可以了解為何反對的人這麼激烈。