With signage in hand stating "No Cell Towers," 59 concerned and frustrated Beacon Hill residents packed a small Beacon Hill Public library conference room on Nov. 8 to communicate their displeasure with T-Mobile's choice of location for their new cell phone tower.
Jefferson Park, which graces the crest of Beacon Hill, was part of the original Olmstead park plan for Seattle. Developed in the early 1900s, it is a treasure to the neighborhood and well used by the richly diverse local population. Jefferson Park is in the process of revitalization, having received $8 million from the Pro Parks funding levy.
T-Mobile, represented by Eric Johnson, RF engineer; Madeline Chaney, land use Specialist; and Liz Carrasquero, project manager; has proposed placing a cell phone tower in the northwest corner of the gateway to Jefferson Park to help improve coverage for an area of approximately eight city blocks; 15th Avenue South to the west, Hanford Avenue to the north, Spokane Street to the south and 24th Avenue South to the east.
The section of the park where T-Mobile wants to place the tower is allocated for a lookout with views of the mountains, when the 10-year plan for the park is completed. The T-Mobile representatives said they have difficulties with coverage and issues with the terrain in the area. T-Mobile technicians did walk-around and balloon-transmitter tests in the problem area and found the location was the best option to place a tower. As proposed, the 45-foot tall tower is 24-inches in diameter, which is roughly the size of a 55-gallon oil drum. To put it in further perspective, at 45-feet tall it would be akin to approximately 16 55-gallon oil drums stacked on top of each other, all painted green to blend in with the surroundings.
"The problem is that Seattle is built on a very hilly and cliffed area," Johnson said. "We get about 50 dropped calls a day along 24th Avenue South, and we want to clean that up."
Many of the Jefferson Park area residents in attendance disputed T-Mobile's claim stating they are T-Mobile customers and reported having no such problems on their daily commutes in the area. Judith Edwards-Smyth, president of the North Beacon Hill Council, is very concerned with the possible radiation effects to the children playing in the park and led a long, impassioned question-and-answer period that started with a simple, "What are your alternative sites for this tower?"
Johnson replied that T-Mobile "had not looked into alternative sites and had none at the moment, as this particular site fit T-Mobiles needs perfectly."
His statement sparked an uproar that didn't quiet down for 10 minutes.
Carrasquero attempted to calm down the room saying that T-Mobile "treats every community with respect," which only seemed to fan the fire of debate in conjunction with the fact that T-Mobile allegedly didn't give the community an opportunity to ask the company questions, or solicit information from them, until after the proposal's allotted comment period had expired.
Mira Latozeks, a resident of Beacon Hill and rally organizer against T-Mobile, was one of the few people who found out about this proposal only two day before the comment period was over. Latozeks has placed numerous calls to the Seattle Parks Department and Seattle Public Utilities only to be given, as she stated, excuses as to the lack of community outreach. According to Latozeks, when she complained to the parks department, she was told that she would "have to follow procedures. That is why they are there."
"The city has not followed its own process," Latozeks stated. "It's gone under its process."
When asked why the meeting was being held after the comment period was over, T-Mobile's Chaney said, "The comment period was over before they could book a room here at the library."
Chaney's comment was not received well by the residents in attendance. Bradley Wilburn of the Seattle Department of Planning and Development was there in support of T-Mobile's plan, but Wilburn was also the target of vehement ridicule. Wilburn managed to make only one comment about a meeting scheduled for Nov. 29 at 6:30 p.m. at Asa Mercer Middle School to discuss opposition to the plan before quietly leaving shortly after.
The Seattle Parks Department was represented by Randy Robinson, who did not stand up to identify himself as a parks representative while questions were raised as to the legality and secrecy of the parks department's involvement with T-Mobile's plan. Pictures of the proposed tower site displayed at the meeting were taken by a parks representative. When contacted for more information on why the parks department would agree to the T-Mobile cell phone tower deal, the representative simply said, "No comment."
Overtly frustrated at the way T-Mobile and the city seem to have circumvented community input, some residents have taken the initiative to prevent the construction of the tower into their own hands. Frederica Merrell researched the parent company of T-Mobile, Deutsche Telekom, a company well known for championing causes to keep the world green, and wrote a letter to its CEO, Kai-Uwe Ricke, telling him of the plan to put the tower in a park. Merrell asked Ricke to put a stop to it. Deutsche Telekom is currently attempting to sell T-Mobile.
"Parks has really screwed up here," Merrell asserted.
Adding to the evidence of tower proposal's backroom dealing quality, Jon Gould, a Beacon Hill resident, brought a recording of Mayor Greg Nickels. On the recording, Gould asks Nickels about the parks department's Jefferson Park cell phone tower proposal.
"We would have some difficulties with that," Nickels is heard saying. "There are no proposals like that."
Latozeks noted that this kind of misinformation laden with undercurrents of secrecy is what has her, and her fellow Beacon Hill residents, are upset about.
"We have fought hard for having a neighborhood park, and I don't understand why [the cell phone tower placement] should ever have been considered," Erin Fanning said during the meeting.
Her comment seemed to sum up the audience's attitudes towards T-Mobile and its plan to compromise one of Jefferson Park's most scenic views.
"Parks are for playing, not for towers," added 4-year-old Maya Lazo-Fanning.
For more information on the history and reclamation of Jefferson Park visit http://www.cityofseattle.net/commnty/Beacon/groups/jpa/.
Rainier Beach writer and photographer Dawn Trybjorn may be reached via editor@sdistrictjournal.com.[[In-content Ad]]
