Concerns raised in Westmere
Cell-phone antennas all along the water tower


GUILDERLAND — New concerns were raised by residents about the "cumulative effects" of radio frequency radiation following an application for new telecommunications antennas on the Westmere water tower.

Nextel Partners Inc. applied for a special-use permit last Wednesday to place 12 new cellular telephone antennas in town. The application was tabled until the Feb. 7 zoning board meeting by a unanimous vote after board members asked for additional information.
The antennas are to be placed at 90 feet on the water tower, below already existing cellular antennas from other providers, and the plans also call for a 12-by-20-foot "usage shelter" at the base of the tower.

The water tower is about 140 feet tall and located off of Gipp Road in a residential area in Westmere.

The added antennas are needed, the Nextel representative said, to penetrate places like Crossgates Mall.

Three providers already pay rent to the town for antenna space —Verizon, IWO, and T-Mobile. This application would make Nextel, which has merged with Sprint, the fourth. Rent money from antennas on town water towers are put into the Water and Wastwater Department’s annual budget.

Steve Elsbree, a site-acquisition consultant, presented the application to the board on behalf of Nextel and answered questions from board members and one area resident.

Since the water tower was recently painted green, the proposed antennas would be painted to match the tower, said Elsbree.

Chairman Peter Barber asked Elsbree about any health effects which could result from the antennas either immediately or over time.
"It’s a common question," Elsbree said. "It’s a misconception"The power output is similar to your hand held device," he said about the antennas’ output energy.
"Only one antenna out of four transmits; the others receive," he said. "These are specialized antennas." Elsbree told the board that the antennas would only produce .004 percent of the maximum exposure limit set by the Federal Communication Commission, less than 1 percent of the total limit.
"It is well below the controlled limits," he said.

Barber wanted to know more about possible long-term effects the cell towers could cause, he said at the meeting.
"The Telecommunications Act sets forth guidelines that municipalities have to comply with," Barber said. "I think the concern is the cumulative effect."

Last year, residents expressed concerns about radio frequency radiation from cellular antennas on the Fort Hunter water tower, which is located next to the Pine Bush Elementary School.
"Realistically, you’re not going to be in the main beam of all four carriers at the same time," said Elsbree of the antennas on the Westmere tower which are placed around the tower in order to have 360 degrees of coverage.

Penetrating malls

Elsbree told the board that Nextel has looked at other buildings on the south side of Western Avenue and Washington Avenue Extension to place its antennas.
"It’s a specialized area where it needs to be located," Elsbree said. Cell phone providers are installing additional antennas in coverage areas in order to penetrate places like Crossgates Mall and the 20 Mall for their subscribers, according to Elsbree.
"There’s more in-building service, which carriers are now providing more of," he said.

Some board members took issue with this concept.
"Are we coming to the point where we’re going to have a tower on every corner"" asked board member, James Sumner. "How far is this going to go""
"I don’t think you’ll see one on every corner, but you’ll see more in-building service," Elsbree responded. "As a user, inside of 20 Mall you can’t use your cell phone, that’s an area of concern."
Sumner again asked, "How far could it go""
"Basically the customer drives the site design and the extensiveness of the network"Site statistics drive the demand," Elsbree said.
"Where does this leave our public"" asked Sumner.
"That leaves the public with a device that they can use wherever they want, however they want," Elsbree answered.

Board member Charles Klaer asked Elsbree about cellular technology being used today and how it is evolving.
"It’s not any different then every Starbucks or Borders that has wireless Internet and every resident that has it; it’s all the same technology," said Elsbree. "You can park in front of my house and jump on my Internet; it’s unprotected."

Klaer then asked Elsbree about future wireless technologies that could be implemented, and if the installations would continue to become increasingly smaller.
"Around the water cooler, what are you guys talking about"" Klaer asked.
"I’m just an engineer," answered Elsbree, but continuing, he did cite test areas in New York City where Internet routers are being mounted on utility poles.

Klaer also brought up a Danish study that linked cell phone use to brain tumors.

The study he spoke of found an increase for acoustic neuromas, or non-cancerous brain tumors, after 10 years of cell phone use.

Microwaves like those found in cell phones heat up tissue just as a microwave oven heats food. Scientists conducting this study say that the heat can alter cellular DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, which can cause tumors.

According to the National Brain Tumor Foundation, approximately 190,000 people in the United States and 10,000 in Canada will be diagnosed annually with a primary or metastatic brain tumor. Brain tumors are the leading cause of solid tumor death in children under the age of 20, which now surpasses acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Presently, brain tumors are treated by surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, or some combination of those.

There are over 120 different types of brain tumors that make effective treatment complicated, according to the foundation.

Resident’s concern

Liesse Mohr, a 30-year resident who lives at 56 Gipp Rd. near the Westmere water tower, spoke about several concerns during the public hearing portion of the meeting.
"I have been through this; this is my third time here," said Mohr. "At what point are there too many antennas""That’s 28 antennas on one piece of equipment."
Mohr said she hoped trees and vegetation would not be cut down for the utility shed’s construction, because it would make the base of the water tower more visible. She joked that she and her husband referred to the tower as "the mother ship," but later added, "As a resident living next to it, to be honest, it’s not so ugly."

She was also concerned about possible noise and lighting issues.
Mohr does not want lights on the utility shed. Light from below the water tower makes a "ring of light" around the bottom of the tower, creating the image of a stove burner, she said.
"It just draws attention to something that’s a huge behemoth out there," she added.

Her main concern, however, was about the cumulative radio frequency from the cell towers.
Mohr asked Elsbree about the cumulative percentages or the "sum of percentages" of all the antennas’ radiation coming from the tower.
If those numbers were provided, Mohr contended, the "zoning board could then feel comfortable saying there are 20 antennas here, now move on to another site"Wait until the others lose some business or something and then we’ll have some room for you."

Mohr said the proximity of the water tower made her concerned about how many antennas were on it.
"That’s coming directly into my sunroom," Mohr said about possible radio frequency. "I would like to know realistically how much is coming into my house."

She asked Nextel to take an actual reading from inside of her home.

Barber asked Elsbree to submit a report before the next meeting detailing the cumulative amount of radio frequency in the area as well as the sum of percentages.
"It’s up to you guys to monitor this and regulate it," Mohr concluded. "It’s a mystery why the FCC doesn’t follow through, but they don’t."