ANTENNA TOWER - SPECIAL REPORT
Jefferson County Commissioner Hearing - July 8, 2003
5-10 pm - Rezoning for Lake Cedar Group Supertower
(continued from page 1)
Rolla Bryant of Golden quoted Benjamin Franklin, "The politician will do well to remember that they will much longer with their conscience than they will with their decisions." Speaking "from the heart, the body of evidence has been presented to you has created fear for safety and property values… fear is compounded by the apparent agenda over the next 20 years to build whatever they want at whatever cost… Place yourself in our shoes… the fear may cause more damage than all else… families would be uprooted… you have an opportunity to do the right thing for yourself and the community.
Louel Marcelo of Golden is a new resident that is concerned for his three-year-old son. "With the outpouring of support to deny this… There is the upside for JeffCo if you approve…"
Ann Felteau of Denver is an engineer with 10 years experience in telecommunications. "I oppose LCG’s tower proposal… I have reviewed the information presented by Mr. Al Hislop regarding increases or decreases of RF exposure that it would increase for… more than 9000 homes… the addition of four DTV antennas would cause significant increases."
Presten Driggers of Golden said, "Channel 4 Viacom $24.6 billion; Channel 7 McGraw Hill $40 billion; Channel 9 Gannet $36.4 billion; Channel 20 Fred Eychanar of Chicago $1 billion. Lake Cedar Group are $100 billion in corporate ownerships… Controllers of these conglomerates do not live in Jefferson County or Golden… By demanding to build a Supertower close to families, schools, and places of work, these conglomerates show no consideration for public health, safety and children… As our County Commissioners, you can… bring them up to a higher standard of corporate behavior… up, up as high as 11,000 square feet on Squaw Mountain… when they get there, they will truly know what a Rocky Mountain high really is, both technically and ethically… They can decide tomorrow. They can have it operational in six months or less… I encourage you to tell them, Go West you conglomerates, Go West!"
Daniel Diekman of Denver wants approval of the rezoning to satisfy the "federal mandate by 2006… if you do not approve this, the mandate hangs over your Commissioner heads."
Hugh McIsaac of Golden has a Ph D. in biology, teaches at University of Denver, and is a specialist in bird navigation and migration. "The only acceptable course of action for this community is no increase in the risk of health… the medical community has given us every reason to deny this proposal… viable alternative sites are available… the existing towers must be brought down to avoid further health problems…"
Robert Barrett of Golden is an attorney. "LCG bears the burden of proof that this is safe… LCG claims: power will be reduced… RF causes no health problems… alternative sites are not feasible… boosters would be needed… They say they are the only ones who can remove towers on LM… ODP leaves everything open for unlimited expansion… LCG is willing to drain county resources and reputation with years and years of law suits… to gain a Love Canal… This group’s alleged evidence cannot be relied upon… they skew the facts."
Bryon Starling is a former Golden City Councilman and researcher/owner of a biomedical business. "I have worked for many universities and companies. I have researched and commercialized technologies… Having worked for large corporations, I am well aware of the process of wearing down the opposition by repeated political and legal maneuvering. There is an arrogant mentality of he who has the most money or legal muscle wins. Even as due process, (the repeated tower proposals) are a financial and emotional burden on the residents. A vote for the towers is a career limiting position for you as County Commissioners… You were elected to represent your constituents, not outside special interests… Surely you must honor the first priority to Do No Harm… Medical companies must demonstrate safety of their products or drugs before approval for the public… The same criteria should be imposed on any of these towers (including low power wireless)… Research means Look Again… " As Starling was listing the medical reasons for denial of the tower, Sheehan required him to stop.
Chris Peters of Golden questions reasons for LCG to reject Squaw Mountain as an alternative site. He participated in extensive testing of metro area coverage of a low power DTV antenna from Squaw conducted in 2002. "The shadowing they claim for Jefferson County from Squaw does not compute… boosters were not as necessary as they are now for existing antennas on Lookout Mountain… LCG can comply the federal DTV mandate from Squaw."
Carlo Kopf of Lookout Mountain lives 100 yards from some of the towers. "Jefferson County is committed to protect life, property, and the environment from adverse impact of natural and manmade hazards… to obtain that goal, you should not increase the radiation at my house… do not trade off potential health risks for TV viewing."
Shirley Seitz of Lakewood wants approval because the new tower would reduce towers and radiation and will not exceed current radiation emission standards. She believes Lookout will remain the same without approval of the LCG project.
Cynthia King of Beverly Heights in Golden has been a Registered Nurse for 30 years. She was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor and described the horrible consequences of this disease. "Many of my neighbors have had serious health problems… different forms of cancer… Three of my former neighbors with brain tumors moved before the 1998-99 state health department audit and were not counted… the health care industry is now beginning to develop information systems for automated medical records… Can the data collected be considered conclusive?… Was the data too narrow?… Is anyone willing to admit this area is being subjected to serious health threats… One of the first questions my doctor asked was if I have lived near any kind of radiation for a length of time… My children and I are proud to live in Golden. I urge you to vote no. It is the right thing to do."
Michael Clark of Golden is concerned about exposure to radiation and the visual impact of massive guy wires and construction roadway scares. "I choose to work outdoors so I am subjected to more types of radiation than most… This antenna industry forces us to lose our choice of the amount of radiation we are willing to be exposed to… I have worked in construction all my life… there will have to be roadways to anchor all of those guy wires. How big are the roadways going to be to transport a drill rig… where will they be and how visible will the scars be after anchoring the wires… Will they blast for roadways or import fill materials?… After construction, how can they reclaim the pristine mountain?"
Jennifer Smith of Golden said, "Health, safety, morals, convenience, order, prosperity and welfare are the primary issues of rezoning… the towers have never been compatible with residential land use… We live in a beautiful county, the gateway to the Rockies… One citizen priority has been to preserve that beauty with our open space program… permitting towers contradicts that goal… There seems to be a lot of pressure by LCG that this is the only way to clean up the towers… Protecting Buffalo Bill’s Grave and the Boettcher Mansion is more valuable than protecting the towers… Towers are incompatible with Lookout Mountain."
David Maloney of Brighton want approval of the LCG tower or Lookout Mountain would remain the same forever.
Dennis Rich of Englewood wants approval of the LCG tower. He compared Lookout Mountain with the Mt. Wilson "antenna farm" in California. (Editor note: There are no residences on Mt. Wilson in Angeles National Forest, above Pasadena, at 5,700 altitude.)
Stan Grabowski, MD, lives in the Beverly Heights neighborhood in Golden. "I am an physician at Boulder Community Hospital and board certified in public health… I have treated children with brain tumors, leukemia and other cancers… I have seen many families suffer from serious health problems caused by technology… At first new technology looks great…I was in charge of the asbestos remediation program at San Diego… I saw many sailors retiring with diseased lungs from making asbestos in buckets with sticks and water and putting it on engines with their hands 30 years ago… Now we close schools down when asbestos fiber is found in the air. So, things change over time… EMR may well be added to a list of many environmental hazards… The U.S. lags behind in limiting exposure to EMR… I have research the studies… it causes damage to cells and suspicious community cancer clusters… Dr. Kelly and Dr. Frankel gave excellent presentations… but I want to talk about ethics… First of all we must Do No Harm… there is a significant probability that the exposure from this tower would cause illness… there is information that causes concern, so we have a responsibility to Do No Harm.… I am biased. I am a physician. I believe health concerns trump all other reasons for denial of this tower…"
Ron Auger of Parker asked for a show of hands of those opposed to the application and then those in favor of leaving the mountain the way it is. He said that those who oppose the tower should move because nothing will change without approval of the Supertower.
Mark Pasquale of Golden opposes the application. He believes LCG’s hidden agenda is to legalize their nonconforming use in a residential area. "This community has rallied to deny this proposal… We have been communicating with our neighbors door to door, signing petitions… We came to Golden to hike and bike, play tennis, work, raise families and live in a clean environment. We want DSL and DTV, but not at the expense of our health and safety."
Teresa Shelton of Golden built a new home below the towers two years ago. "Of course I have seen the towers my entire life. I grew up in North Denver seeing the towers every night, wondering what kind of things were happening up there. When we bought our property, looked up there, saw the towers, didn’t think a thing about it. In the past six weeks, I have learned more about EMR emissions than I ever wanted to know… we would move if the tower goes up"
Bryan Smith has lived on Lookout Mountain since 1987 and has spent $8,000 mitigating RF interference into his home… window film, insulation, sheeting… "the beginning of DTV is a good opportunity to relocate the towers."
Robbie Hoontrakoon, MD, is Golden resident, a Pediatrician and Allergist, trained at the Mao Clinic. Her conclusion from study of the risks is to deny the tower and begin to remove existing towers. "There is more at stake here then health risks… There are social, cultural and community values at stake… Never threaten the health of children when it can be avoided…"
Julie Hermann of Westminster supports the LCG tower or the mountain will remain as is.
Frank McLaughlin of Denver supports LCG. "I remember George Westinghouse proposing a tower on every block. Approve it or the mountain will remain as is."
Sandy Barrett loves raising her children in Golden. "The medical studies (childhood leukemia and cancer) discussed by the doctors at last week’s hearing is enough evidence for me to think it is not a good idea to put our children at risk. My son was born with two genetic defects that none of our families have (a history of)… I know two neighbors who suffered from miscarriages… and two others who have children with genetic abnormalities… I don’t know if the low level exposure from the existing towers are the cause, but I don’t think LCG can guarantee it is not. Until they can, you should not consider any more exposure of this pollutant."
Phil Hardy of Golden did not know much about the issues until listening to testimony at these hearings. "The media has not covered this issue at all… My wife just had a miscarriage… Would you start a family here?… "
Jan Wilkins of Evergreen. "I recently moved away from the towers but I feel everyone in Jefferson County has a stake in this decision… it will weigh heavily on the future of Jefferson County. I have an investment in this county… thousands of hours serving my immediate neighborhood… helping to develop the Central Mountain Community Plan (1988-95)… helping to preserve Clear Creek Canyon (1990-94)… Chairing 1998 campaign for $160 million Open Space bonds… This proposal does not comply with the CMCP… when we looked at this issue in the early 1990s, we knew more information about EMR was needed. We did not have it then. That information is starting to become available… It would be premature for you to approve this… We recommended prudent avoidance of increasing EMR in the early 1990s… I am concerned about people… looking at JeffCo as a potential place to invest in a business and/or as a resident… given the many other nice places to live in the metro area… I would ask how does JeffCo honor its commitments?… Would I be safe making an investment in JeffCo? Does JeffCo allow continuous nonconforming use of land that are not compatible with residential areas?… There may be better counties in the area that are a safer investment. because of the fact that we can’t be trusted to honor our zoning, to honor our residences, to honor our historic resources, to honor our land use plans." Commissioner Sheehan interrupted her testimony.
Lili Shelton of Lookout Mountain said, "During the past 10 years living in direct line-of-site of the towers… we went through a period of denial… not recognizing the invisible pollution and assuming the government would protect us… In recent years, we learned more about the telecommunications industry… corporate conglomerates, violations of emissions and illegal towers allowed on Lookout… more expansion and radiation increases without due process… LCG claims our community is unwilling to compromise and we live in a fictional future without towers… We have compromised with our polluting neighbors too long… We have participated in the CSU study… measured radiation at our elementary school… we have invested time and money mitigating radiation from entering our home… tolerated interference problems like our fickle garage door remote that locks us out… But another compromise we have been living with is our fear of safety… that causes a fight or flight instinct and many of us have decided to fight for what we believe is right… many of us on the mountain and in Golden will continue to fight to protect our homes, neighborhood and community… this rezoning application offers JeffCo an opportunity to… make that so-called fictional future a beautiful reality."
Diane White of Clear Creek County Rd 422 (Squaw Mountain) supports LCG rezoning for Lookout Mountain. "We believe it is a contradiction for Lookout Mountain people to oppose this for their community but want it sent to ours… Homeowners in the Blue Valley and Echo Hills would also be effected… (our numbers) rival those of Lookout Mountain… we are all opposed to this coming to our area due to the greater environmental impact due to birds… wildlife… in Arapaho National Forest… Squaw Mountain Communications is approved for three radio towers of 200 feet, not TV towers… this technology did not exist in the 1980s when the ODP was approved… if the LCG rezoning is not approved, Lookout Mountain will remain the same forever… SM has frequent blackouts from lightning strikes… SM is an inferior site…"
Cynthia Beer of Clear Creek County Rd 422 (Squaw Mountain) supports LCG rezoning for Lookout Mountain. "We do not feel Squaw Mountain is a viable alternative to Lookout Mountain… Because this has not been proposed in Clear Creek County yet… SM is a pristine beautiful area enjoyed by thousands of visitors… the recent triple bypass race over SM… when the aspen are turning colors in autumn… SM is completely covered with a very dense pine forest… adding buildings and towers would add blight to the mountain… and for wild animals… We also have children… and I can’t believe their lives (Golden/LM) are more valuable than ours… SM is a residential community just like Lookout Mountain is."
Roger Dauman of Clear Creek County Rd 422 (Squaw Mountain) supports LCG rezoning for Lookout Mountain. "Numerous lightning strikes occur on SM… causing power outages… blowing out our (consumer products) and surge protectors… Jack Petre of Quest invites people can call him about the hazards of SM at 303-523-7586."
Frank Fawson of Clear Creek County Rd 422 (Squaw Mountain) supports LCG rezoning for Lookout Mountain. "The 2.5 miles of dirt Road 422 to SMC site… does not meet CCC requirements of 50-foot wide, and in many places it is as narrow as 18 feet and averages about 25 feet… CCC has no budget to maintain or improve the road… some owners have been denied expansion permits because of fear of more traffic would be too much for CCC to handle… there is no emergency access (deadend)… Most of the people that say Go West would not come up this road… closest fire department is nine miles away… snow removal sometimes takes 2-3 days after a storm… I love living there."
Lee Todd (video) has lived on a ridge in Paradise Hills on Lookout Mountain with direct line-of-site, about one mile west of the antenna towers, since building a home in 1971. "There were far fewer towers when we first moved in then there are now. It was many years later that we became aware of possible health effects. My husband died of brain cancer in 1998. He had retired from running a private consulting business from our home…18 to 20 hours a day. Some neighbors have also had brain or other types of cancer… We have always had RF interference… television (both broadcast & cable), computers and cell phones have to be shielded at my home… Electromagnetic radiation measurements at my home are below the FCC limit but high for 24 hours a day (according to recent research)… Window film has reduced EMR by 42%… but I was warned not to entertain on the deck outside the window that reflects EMR as a double whammy exposure… please remove this terrible radiation from our neighborhood."
Gill Lander of Golden is an immigrant from South America. "We did not go to Miami because of hurricanes there… we did not go to California because of earthquakes… we came to the best possible place — Colorado… beautiful Rocky Mountains… wonderful air… but they are transforming our beautiful place into something everybody wants to get rid of… We did not know of this legacy… we all have legacies, our personality, riches, actions… I have seen many people before like you with so much power… I have had problems with brain tumors… People don’t value health until they are threatened to lose it… You have a very difficult decision to make… Sitting in the power chairs you are now, think like normal human beings, just people, simple people, without that power… I want to congratulate everyone in this room for a magnificent example of Democracy." Commissioner Holloway asked where he was from. Lander said, "Venezuela… it is a beautiful place. I would not have given it up if not for the safety of my kids." Commissioner Sheehan said, "We are very much average people… " Lander said, "…the important things we have in common… we all go to the bathroom… " (Hearty Laughter)
(Left: Mothers who want to safeguard their children's health attended the hearings.)