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Schools

Cell Tower Proposed For Meadowview Elementary

DeKalb's Board of Education to vote soon on T-Mobile proposal to lease space at a dozen schools to build cell towers

The DeKalb County Board of Education will soon vote on a T-Mobile proposal to lease space at a dozen schools including Meadowview Elementary to build cell towers. South DeKalb board member Gene Walker thinks it should happen.

"I think it will benefit the school and the community," Walker said, citing both the improved communication coverage in the area and the thousands of dollars that could flow toward the school.

And "I don't agree it's a health hazard," he continued.

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But some parents think it is. Several have already testified at board public meetings, urging a no vote. One Stone Mountain mom cited European studies on cancer and cell towers and said "I'm not ready to sell my child or his health for whatever there is to fund. I think there are other ways."

She drew applause from a normally silent audience.

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But Walker is assured by literature that argues a cell tower is no more hazardous than a baby monitor.

T-Mobile says its 154-foot tower's electromagnetic emission levels will fall far below Federal Communication Commission limits, citing audited data from a Colorado site.

The company has surveyed two possible sites by the Wee Kirk Road entrance to the school: one site about 50 feet from the building, the other about 200 feet away. In residential areas, mobile carriers often seek tower sites at schools for lack of any other available property.

While the proposed lease terms are not yet public, similar deals in other counties have run about $30,000 per tower per year. At a Cobb County school this year, T-Mobile offered $30,000 per year for a tower. The cash would have been split 60-40 between the county school board and the individual school. After hearings and delay, the Cobb board voted to put off the iss­ue indefinitely. Last year in Roswell, the company offered a one-time $30,000 payment to one elementary school, plus regular payment to the county. Parental opposition shut down the deal. Several other Fulton schools, however, have taken up cell tower offers.

If a deal is done for Meadowview, Walker prefers the money to stay there, not go to the county kitty. "It's not easy for PTAs to raise cash," he pointed out.

Once DeKalb and T-Mobile sketch out a contract, the 10-member school board will vote.

The board's next regularly scheduled meeting is July 11.

If the deal passes the board, T-Mobile must still get zoning and building approval. According to the company's figures, that would take about three to four months.

Technology giant AT&T is seeking to buy T-Mobile at a price of $39 billion. The deal could be done early next year, pending approval from antitrust officials, who may require T-Mobile to sell off some of its assets.

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