To the editor:

I am writing about a monopole cellphone tower set to be installed on parks and rec property 100 feet from our side yard on McLary Road. We have deep concerns about this, and our repeated attempts for county commissioners to call us, as of today (July 8), have been ignored.

We were not informed of the commissioners meeting that had a direct impact on us as homeowners, so we didn’t have a chance to voice our concerns. We were informed of the Board of Zoning Appeals meeting two weeks ago, but by then it was too late. The lease had already been signed last fall.

There are numerous health concerns about proximity to cellphone towers from reliable sources, including the government’s “National Center for Biotechnology Information” and “Physicians for Safe Technology” and the “Environmental Health Trust.” These all urge caution when installing monopole cellphone towers. A distance of 400 feet is the average minimum a tower should be from a residence, school, daycare center and people of childbearing age. At the Board of Zoning Appeals meeting, this St. Louis company quoted the Telecommunications Act from 1996 saying towers may not be denied approval based solely on perceived health risks. But there are numerous studies SINCE 1996 that have updated this health risk information.

The county has approved this cellphone tower to literally “hug” our home on the parks and rec property. Why did they not choose a location by the VA building? Or the parks office? Or the children’s playing fields? Was it because of PERCEIVED health threats or unsightliness? If so, why was this SAME consideration not given to my family?

We are also concerned the tower standing by our side yard will affect our property value. This St. Louis company submitted a study to our Board of Zoning Appeals showing no change in property values when comparing a monopole tower a quarter-mile from a home versus a monopole one mile from a home. There’s a problem with their study. A quarter-mile from a home is 1,320 feet. Our home is a mere 100 feet from this tower, literally a stone’s throw. Don’t tell me this does not impact the sale-ability of our home.

The commissioners are supposed to serve the interests of its constituents, not out-of-state companies. Placing this tower somewhere else on county property allows my family, as citizens, to enjoy our home without worry about health effects and loss of home value by a cellphone tower that looms above our side yard.

Please, commissioners, respond to us. Give us some breathing room with this telecommunications tower.

Sincerely,

Jack and Tracy Todd, McLary Road

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