Cell tower decision postponed

Janine Marnien

LOS ANGELES -- The Crescenta Valley Town Council will have 30 more

days to research the health risks of cell phone towers in close proximity

to one another and develop a community plan, a Los Angeles County

Regional Planning Department Hearing Officer ruled Tuesday.

Even though the council had originally requested a 60-day

postponement, members present at the public hearing expressed

satisfaction with the decision.

“It just means we have to work harder,” Alternate Councilwoman Jaleen

Lunt said.

The council plans to use the added time creating standards for future

cell phone tower proposals. Such standards would include acceptable

locations and number of towers the community should allow in the area.

Council members would also like to research potential health threats

posed by two cell phone towers close together, despite a Federal

Communications Commission decision forbidding health concerns from

becoming a factor in determining locations of such towers. A Sprint tower

disguised as a palm tree is across the street from the proposed site.

Nextel is proposing to build the 72-foot tower at 4441 Cloud Ave. on

the site of an existing self-storage facility. The tower would be

disguised as a pine tree, and is an alternative to an antenna approved

last year at 4502 Dyer St.

The decision to grant a 30-day rather than a 60-day continuance was

made based on information presented at the hearing by Nextel

representative Shannon Minkel.

Minkel said that a continuance should not be granted, because when

Nextel proposed building an antenna last year the town council requested

-- and was granted -- a continuance for the same health concerns being

raised now.

The Planning Department will again hear the Nextel proposal to build

the tower on May 7. The town council is planning to address the issue at

its April meeting.