80-foot cell tower proposed




JANN             HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers    HIGH RISE--An  80-foot communications tower  is  being proposed to  replace  the  deteriorating existing tower behind Fire Station 36 on Deerhill Road in Oak Park.

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers HIGH RISE–An 80-foot communications tower is being proposed to replace the deteriorating existing tower behind Fire Station 36 on Deerhill Road in Oak Park.


Oak ParkBy Sophia Fischer  sfischer@theacorn.com

An 80-foot structure including T-Mobile cellular antennas is being proposed for Fire Station 36 on Deerhill Road in Oak Park.

The Oak Park facility would be the first fire station in the 31-station Ventura County Fire District to have a communications tower built by an outside company and the first to include cellular equipment.

In a presentation before the Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council on April 24, T-Mobile discussed plans to construct a 60-foot communications tower topped by a 20-foot antenna and up to 12 wireless antennas behind the fire station. The facility would improve the fire station’s communications system as well as enhance communications coverage for T-Mobile customers in the Oak Park area.

The station’s current communications facility, erected in 1985 when the station was built, needs to be updated, according to Abbe Berns, assistant director of fire services for the Ventura County Fire District, based in Camarillo.

The
three-sided latticed tower would be about 3 feet wide at the base, narrowing to about 12 to18 inches at 60 feet. A thin 20-foot whip antenna would top the tower. Existing landscaping and curbs would be removed to accommodate related equipment including underground electrical conduits, generators and receptacles.

“The timing is just kind of good for them and for us. We’re going to pay for the tower, then pay the county a monthly lease that allows us to put our antenna on the tower. It’s pretty much a win-win for both of us,” said Charnel McCall of SureSite Consulting Group, based in Ohio, which is representing T-Mobile. McCall said she has designed cellular sites throughout California.

After building the tower in Oak Park, T-Mobile would lease back space from the district at a cost of $20,000 to $24,000 a year for its antennas. The district would use the income for various needs including computers, firefighter salaries and benefits, and maintaining vehicles and equipment, according to Berns.

The fire district is building new communications towers at all of its stations. So far 10 have been completed at a cost of $40,000 to $50,000 each, paid for by the district. The new towers are taller and improve each station’s ability to transmit and receive information in the event of an emergency.

There was no representative on hand from the fire department so the MAC moved the issue to its May 22 meeting to receive input from the fire district and area residents. In discussing the project, MAC member Mike Paule questioned why T-Mobile chose a site that is about 120 feet from the nearest residence and about 500 feet from Oak Park High School.

“I have some serious concerns about this,” Paule said. “This is equivalent to an eight-story building in an area that is in wide open view of homes and everyone coming up Kanan Road.”

Other locations were considered by the company but none were the “right fit,” McCall said. The area’s topography made finding a site challenging.

“There are no other options besides this. There is no other viable option I can use,” McCall said.

Paule expressed disbelief that there were not other possible sites.

“What you’re proposing will be highly visible,” Paule said. “I think every effort should be made to accommodate the residents. Great value is placed on aesthetics here. We want a win-win situation but I think you need to work with us and the fire department to find ways to minimize the impact.”

Firefighters have let the district know they oppose the project, Berns said. Chris Mahon, president of the Ventura County Firefighters Association in Camarillo said that the problem is not the communications tower, but the wireless antennas. He believes the health of firefighters will be negatively affected by the cellular equipment.

Firefighters at a neighboring county station where wireless antennas were installed have suffered headaches, dizziness and other symptoms but were unsuccessful in having the antennas removed, Mahon added.

Research is being conducted by the International Association of Firefighters to determine health-related risks from wireless antennas, he said.

“Firefighters already suffer a much higher rate of exposure to hazardous matter. We get cancer at a much higher rate than the public,” Mahon said. “I can appreciate the desire by the district to have the income . . . not that $25,000 would go very far in this industry. But it’s not worth the health risks. One case of cancer could easily offset whatever income is made from this.”

Paule also expressed concern about health issues related to emissions from wireless facilities. Frank Koppala, a SureSite Consulting Group representative, sought to reassure him.

“There is no difference between a cellphone and a transistor radio. A cellphone has lower power, low frequency,” Koppala said.

But communication between wireless towers creates highly focused radio beams that become much more powerful, Mahon said.

Under the FCC Telecommunications Act of 1996, health and safety concerns cannot be the basis for denial of a cellphone tower. Communities must abide by federal law–which gives certain rights to wireless carriers in their efforts to deploy antennas for improved coverage–or risk legal action.

T-Mobile filed an application in December with the Ventura County Planning Division, which planner Kristina Roodsari is reviewing.

Residents within 300 feet of the proposed project will be notified by mail prior to a hearing on the project to be held at county offices, Roodsari said.

The planning division, under the direction of Kim Rodriguez, is the ultimate decision-maker. Residents’ comments are considered, Roodsari added.

“I can empathize and understand neighbors’ concerns but
we have a business need for putting up a tower. We have to improve our radio



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