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Cell towers on school buildings? Some parents object despite revenue [Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.](Saint Paul Pioneer Press (MN) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sept. 15--A few Twin Cities school districts have found a new way to raise revenue, but it doesn't always get the best reception from parents. At least five east-metro school districts have lease deals with wireless providers for cellular phone towers or antennas on school property. The deals typically net about $1,000 a month or more per site. East-metro districts with cellular towers or antennas include Anoka-Hennepin, White Bear Lake, Stillwater, St. Paul, North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale and Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan. Not everyone supports this new source of revenue. In June, Sean O'Loughlin, a Lake Elmo resident and Stillwater district parent, expressed concern about plans to put a 125-foot Verizon Wireless communication tower at Oak-Land Junior High School. O'Loughlin's speech against the proposed tower was posted on YouTube by the Stillwater Schools Community Action Network. O'Loughlin worries the radio frequencies used in cellular communication could have detrimental effects on students and staff. He said the Federal Communications Commission's research into the possible harmful effect of radio frequencies has been "inconclusive." "Inconclusive is not enough, in my opinion, when it comes to the children and staff of Oak-Land Junior High or any other school," O'Loughlin said. "I call on the board to question the unseen in this case." Radio-frequency exposure limits adopted by the FCC in the 1990s are far below levels the agency believes would harm people. However, the agency points out that scientists around the world continue to research the effects of cellphone signals. Parents and lawmakers across the U.S. have fought to keep cellphone towers and antennas off school property, with varying degrees of success. A Minneapolis group called No Cell Towers On Schools has pursued state legislation banning towers within 1,500 feet of schools and day care centers. When the Stillwater school board voted in August to put a cell tower at Oak-Land Junior High, George Hoeppner was the only board member to vote against it. Fellow board members said the district already has two other cell towers and experiences no problems. Hoeppner, who taught in the Stillwater district for 32 years, said he didn't have a problem with the existing towers, but he questioned why the district was doing business with so many cellular phone companies. "Our core mission is teaching and learning," Hoeppner said. "In what way does this cell tower alliance aid our mission?" The cell tower agreements do bring in some money, but the deals are not lucrative. Stillwater expects its three towers, serving up to six carriers, to bring in about $60,000 a year. Larger districts with more towers, such as St. Paul and Anoka-Hennepin, receive about $200,000 a year. Christopher Magan can be reached at 651-228-5557. Follow him at twitter.com/chris_magan. ___ (c)2014 the Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.) Visit the Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.) at www.twincities.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |