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Neighbors protest plan to erect cell tower at church
By PATRICK COOPER © St. Petersburg Times, published February 18, 2001 ST. PETERSBURG -- The decision seemed clear-cut in September. The Disston Heights Neighborhood Association unanimously approved a cellular tower in the shape of a cross to be erected at Faith Lutheran Church, 2601 49th St. N. But now, with the tower on the March 7 agenda of the Environmental Development Commission, the decision appears well short of unanimous. When neighbors received notice of the EDC hearing, several were upset, saying they had never heard of the proposal or the association vote. At a meeting last week, several residents proclaimed their opposition to a tower. "They may disguise it as a cross, but it's still (a cellular tower)," said Warren Chase, a neighbor of Faith Lutheran. Chase said "a commercial project" should be put in a commercial area, not a neighborhood. The church was not acting as a good neighbor, Chase said, because its officials had not made him aware of the plan. "Nobody contacted us." Faith Lutheran would receive payment from Nextel for hosting the tower, but neither side will disclose the amount. "(The cell tower) seemed to be a positive for the neighborhood to provide a service for them," Faith Lutheran pastor Henry Koch said Wednesday. On Friday, Koch said he would do what the neighbors wanted to do. "I don't want to be a bad neighbor," he said. If Nextel explains the project to neighbors and gets their support, then the church will go ahead. If not, Koch said, the tower likely will not be built. At a neighborhood meeting Tuesday night, about a half-dozen residents voiced their displeasure with the tower proposal and the association's effort to keep them informed. "This letter was the first I'd heard about this," said Russ Matthews, a neighbor who raised the issue Tuesday. He and others said that they had not been informed of the September meeting. Neighborhood association officials said every house in Disston Heights had received notification of the meeting. The infighting gave way to concerns about the cellular tower. "I've received more calls on this issue that I have on any other issues," association president Bennett Patten acknowledged. Matthews said he was concerned about the health effects of the tower and the interference it could cause to cordless phones and cable television. He said the cross, which will be illuminated at night, could degrade his property value. And he was critical of Faith Lutheran because, he said, the church would pay no taxes on the money received from Nextel. Officials at the Federal Communications Commission and Nextel said Wednesday that scientists repeatedly have proven that cellular towers are not a health hazard. Nextel spokeswoman Michele Pinnau also said cellular towers have no effect on property values. "There have been studies," she said. "Even traditional cell sites (towers not in the shape of a cross) do not affect property values." The Rev. Koch said the land occupied by the tower would face property taxes and the income the church receives from the tower would be taxed as well. If you goThe Environmental Development Commission meets at 2 p.m. March 7 at City Hall, 175 Fifth St. N. To get more information about the plan or to register support or opposition, call Brenda Tensley at (727) 551-3342 and refer to file number SE-01-004.
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