Trustee raising concerns over deal

By Keith Reid
Record Staff Writer
June 08, 2008 6:00 AM

LODI - Lodi Unified Trustee Bonnie Cassel is speaking out against contract agreements reached between the district and two wireless telephone companies to install cell phone towers on high school campuses.

Cassel, who was the lone dissenter in a 6-1 vote to approve the contracts in February, says the district should think twice about allowing companies to install cell phone towers that emit radiofrequency radiation, because she believes they could cause long-term health effects including cancer.

"There's a possibility that there are side effects, and there are no studies done on how these towers effect children," Cassel said. "I'm worried that not enough people in the community are aware of this."

District facilities chief Art Hand said he realizes there are people who have concerns regarding cell towers, but that neither the district nor cell phone companies would promote school installations if there was hard evidence proving they cause health risks.

"The cell phone towers and whatever issues they bring fall within FCC guidelines," Hand said.

Bear Creek High School will soon have a cell phone tower installed by wireless company T-Mobile. A similar one by Metro PCS will be installed at McNair High School. The district will be paid $1,500 a month, or $18,000 a year, for each tower, Hand said.

Lodi Unified currently has one cell tower in the district, located at the district office.

Across the country, people have protested the installation of towers, and some districts, including Los Angeles Unified, have banned them, Cassel said. No district has banned them locally.

Stockton Unified does not have any towers at its schools, but Tracy Unified has a tower at its technology administration office. Manteca has one at its school farm. Officials say there has been no controversy over those towers in any of the three districts.

Schools are targeted by the wireless companies because the antennas can be easily installed on existing stadium lights. Schools are also built in close proximity to neighborhoods and businesses, providing a good location for a wireless company to strengthen its signals for customers who live or work nearby.

Los Angeles Unified School District, California's largest school district, cited health concerns when it banned the installation of cell phone towers on school grounds in 2000. The district's resolution indicates the decision was made because no studies have been done that eliminate the possibility of health risks in children exposed to cell phone towers at close proximity.

In 2007, a London wireless company called Orange agreed to remove a mast from atop an apartment complex after seven residents living on the top floor were stricken with cancer, according to the London Evening Standard.

"That's what's bothering me. There's enough information out there that's controversial," Cassel said. "Why create that anxiety?"

Hand said he is going to request T-Mobile pay for him to commission a third-party engineering analysis to find out if there are any real health risks posed by cell towers.

"If the report comes back that people's health will be at risk, I'm confident the board will act appropriately," Hand said.

Contact reporter Keith Reid at               (209) 367-7428        or kreid@recordnet.com.