A Verizon cell tower was approved at the Hazelton Area School District board meeting in November, however parents are speaking out, saying that there was no public comment session because the item was “hidden” on the agenda.
The tower is supposed to be erected on Valley Elementary/Middle School grounds of the Pennsylvania township, and the tower was approved “in a bundle along with a number of other items,” according to a story on StandardSpeaker.com. Superintendent of the Hazleton Area School District, Dr. Craig Butler, held a community outreach meeting January 14, and this time parents spoke out. In particular, William Gaydos gave a presentation about scientific research on cell towers. He spoke about health concerns and declining real estate values in his research about areas where cell towers have been constructed. Gaydos has children who attend Valley Elementary, and he said that “both industry and governmental standards are far too lax.” Some of Gaydos’ research came from international peer-reviewed studies about cell tower exposure. continue reading
School Board Vice President Vincent Zola also spoke, addressing his visit to the potential tower site at Valley Elementary that day. He told the crowd that the site is 440 feet from the school, and that towers without a variance should be a minimum of 1,500 feet.
Gaydos asked for the decision to be reversed at the district level, and since the tower approval process must get through zoning first, he asked that the public also come to that meeting to speak. If the tower is constructed, the district would receive about $1,300 monthly in rental fees, according to StandardSpeaker.com. Gaydos wrote a letter stating that he realizes that the school district needs to accrue funds, however “this is the wrong way to do it, at the expense of the children.”
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