Parish advisory board to hold meeting on matter Thursday
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
By Barri Bronston

Residents of an upscale north Metairie neighborhood are protesting the proposed construction of a Nextel cell phone tower at Adams Middle School, saying they are prepared to take the matter to court.

Pending approval by the Jefferson Parish Council, the 110-foot tower is set to be built behind the Adams gymnasium, in close proximity to the posh Country Club Estates subdivision.

But residents, many of whom have placed "No Cell Phone Tower" signs in their front yards, said the tower would devalue their property and create a health risk associated with exposure to radiation emitted from the equipment.

Dozens of residents are expected to attend a Planning Advisory Board public hearing Thursday night to voice their objections and demand that the plans be pulled.

The hearing, which will take place at 5 p.m. at the Joseph S. Yenni Parish Office Building in Harahan, is necessary because the tower would be within 300 feet of the nearest residence and, as a result, require a special-use permit.

The planning board's vote is a recommendation only for the Parish Council, which has the final say in the matter.

The Jefferson Parish School Board quietly approved the tower in November, and many residents are blaming board member Judy Colgan, whose district includes Adams Middle School.

"We have our whole civic association stirred up over this," said Deryl Morris, whose home on Cleveland Court overlooks the school playground. "It's apparent that our school representative is the instigator of this, but our people are not going to sit back and let it happen."

Colgan said she didn't instigate a thing. She took the matter to the School Board, she said, only after being contacted by Adams Principal Cheryl Milam.

"She said it would generate an income for the school and would not interfere with children or the playground," Colgan said. "To my memory, it was met without objection. It's now between the parish and the company. We are out of it."

 Nextel wants to place a cell phone tower at the school to improve the quality of cell phone service in the neighborhood. Typically, telecommunications companies such as Nextel pay property owners about $1,500 a month for the right to build a tower on their land.

Kristin Wallace, a Nextel spokeswoman whose district includes Louisiana, could not be reached for comment. Nanci Schwartz, another Nextel spokeswoman, said that while she didn't know the specifics of the Metairie project, it is not unusual for Nextel to look at schools as potential tower sites.

"That's a common thing," she said. "We work very closely with school districts and communities. There are many guidelines that we have to follow so that it (the tower) conforms to local, state and federal building standards."

She said she is not surprised some residents are opposed to it. "We do run into that some times," she said. "But we find it to be very curious. People demand and expect to have good coverage, but they don't want the technology that it requires."

Tony Gregorio, whose home on Green Acres Court backs up to Adams Middle School, said he has nothing against the technology but does not believe a cell phone tower belongs on school property or in a residential area.

"It affects the entire neighborhood," he said. "Plus, no one knows the long-term health risks of being exposed to this type of environment. You're endangering the lives of the very people you've been entrusted to protect. That it even got this far is beyond me."

Besides expressing health and property concerns, Gregorio and Morris said they are angry that the Planning Advisory Board is taking up the matter in the middle of the holiday season and that the public hearing notice makes no mention of a cell phone tower or Adams Middle School.

The notice says the hearing is being held in reference to a proposed special permitted use at 5525 Henican Place, which is the Adams address. "Ninety-nine out of 100 people will get this and throw it in the wastebasket," Morris said.

The Parish Council has the final say in the matter, and Councilman Louis Congemi, whose district includes Country Club Estates, has already gone on record as being opposed, said Nick Nicolosi, Congemi's aide.

Nicolosi said he thinks the rest of the council will yield to Congemi's wishes. "He (Congemi) has been inundated with phone calls -- more than I've seen on anything in our three years (on the council)," he said. "The people aren't for it, and neither is he. I can tell you, the cell phone tower will not happen."

. . . . . . .

Barri Bronston can be reached at bbronston@timespicayune.com or (504) 883-7058.