Whether it’s a steeple, a monopole designed to look like a tree on church property or even a tower on cemetery grounds, houses of worship surprisingly ended up being prime real estate for cell towers in 2015.
Among some of the top stories Inside Towers covered was Broomfield, Colorado-based Calvary Church. A new Verizon cell tower to be constructed on church property was approved by the City Council, even though the Planning and Zoning Commission had previously voted unanimously against the tower. While there is no proposed time frame, according to Calvary Church’s Office Manager Jeri Rutt, Verizon has been working and been to the 9-acre site to collect soil samples.
“We happen to be on a hill that’s rather high here in Broomfield,” Rutt said. “Nine acres is a pretty good sized lot.”
Verizon also will be building on The Chapel grounds in Mundelien, IL. The 80-foot tall flagpole proposition made residents unhappy due to the proximity to homes, but Pastor Thomas McArthur said that the church can use the lease money to expand outreach and social services, including homelessness and hunger outreach. Verizon has said that the church’s property is “ideal from a scientific perspective.”
At St. Ambrose Church based in West Hollywood, California, there’s a controversy raging over a proposed 62.5-feet tall antenna that would go in the bell tower of the church. The church is adjacent to the Larchmont Charter School, and parents are angry that the tower could produce radiation that could hurt the children. Father Dennis Marrell said that the planning commission hasn’t done its final resolution, which he understands will be at the meeting on January 21.
“Then Verizon will decide on whether to appeal that to the city council. It would be interesting to look at the accuracy of the things they say in the petitions, because I think there’s some wild statements in there,” Marrell said.
More recently, a proposed tower inside First Church’s steeple also is seeing come controversy. The Sandwich Village, MA-based church was built 175 years ago, and officials are worried that Verizon’s tower would “mess that up,” according to CapeNews.net. They have hired a lawyer to make sure the church’s integrity is protected. Verizon has said that it will pay First Church a monthly fee for use of the steeple, which could be from $500 to $4,000.
Finally, cemeteries were hot on the tower circuit as well, with three towers proposed this year: Springdale Cemetery in Illinois, The Highland Memorial Cemetery in South Portland, ME, and the Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery in Cedar Rapids, IA. Springdale’s plight still is up in the air, as Verizon wants to pay $1,500 a month to put a 110-foot tower on a section of land in the cemetery. However, the cemetery is historic, therefore the Peoria Historic Preservation Commission would have to sign off on the site of the pole. Springdale’s General Manager Mark Matuszak said that they last met at the board meeting on December 15, and there were some questions.
“One of the board members said it’s really not our decision to approve or disapprove the tower because we’re owned by the city of Peoria,” Matuszak said. “I said our course of action should give the city an indication of approval or disapproval and hand it off to them. At this point this is where it’s going to be; I don’t have an answer from the authority board, but they are thinking about it. They’ll discuss it in the next couple of weeks or within the next board meeting. I really don’t have a clear direction on whether they want to move forward or not. I think most of their questions have been answered, and they’re doing their due diligence.”
The next board meeting is January 19.
And the tower industry has seen some important victories despite strong public outcry. Earlier this month, the Howard County Board of Appeals cleared the way for Fulton, MD’s Temple Isaiah, a local synagogue, to lease its property for a 160-foot AT&T tower. The panel voted 3-1 to reject a petition by Viram Patel and other residents who claimed the structure would damage property values. Patel and others filed the petition after months of discussions and said the decision was “an expected disappointment,” reported the Baltimore Sun.
While Patel plans to file an appeal at the state level, the tone was set by the board’s decision to permit AT&T to build a monopole on its property. Howard County, with a population of more than 310,000, is between Baltimore and Washington.
Sometimes neighbors to tower sites were unaware that a stealth tower had been installed near them. In fact, some felt fooled by the cross at First Baptist Sweetwater Church in Longwood, FL. The 180-foot structure not only serves as a religious symbol but doubles as a tower serving residents and motorists along Interstate 4.
“People don’t want to see the ugly cell phone towers,” Chad Tucker, a contractor with BTO Wireless told WESH-TV-2 in Orlando. Tucker said he’s done at least a half dozen others just like it. “I believe it should be public knowledge, but a lot of people don’t want to know,” he said.
Not everyone is unhappy about the cross/tower. “When I thought it was going to be a tree, I wasn’t happy about it. But a cross, I think that’s fine right there at the church, that’s cool,” said neighbor Randi Yasika.
“I think it looks good. I think it will help a lot of people with the connection around here,” said neighbor Kevin Seedarnee. The pastor told WESH he signed a 30 to 40-year contract, approved by the county. The deal pays the church anywhere from $1,500 to more than $5,000 per month. The pastor plans to use that money on mission work and charity.
