Cell tower plans axed in La Verne
Residents in La Verne hoping for better cell phone reception are going to have to wait. The Planning Commission unanimously denied Wednesday a bid by Sprint/Nextel to build a cell phone tower at Oak Mesa Park, atop a flagpole.
Reasoning: area residents and parents of nearby Oak Mesa Preschool said they were concerned radio frequencies could be unhealthy for schoolchildren.
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin reporter Will Bigham expands:
City rejects cell-phone tower
By Will Bigham, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 02/15/2008 12:00:00 AM PST
LA VERNE - A proposed Sprint/Nextel cell tower in the north part of town was denied Wednesday night by the Planning Commission.
The unanimous decision came after more than a dozen nearby residents complained about the location of the tower, which would have been about 40 feet from Oak Mesa Preschool.
Residents complained that radio frequency emissions from the tower may pose health risks to students at the school. They also questioned the appropriateness of the design.
The design called for the cell tower to be shrouded from view atop a newly constructed 58-foot flagpole.
"There has to be another option, another place to put this cell tower," said nearby resident Judy Cambanella. "... At the school site, it's very unnerving."
Community Development Director Hal Fredericksen said Sprint/Nextel could appeal the Planning Commission's decision or submit a new application for a tower at a different location or with a different design.
Cell service in north La Verne is spotty because the only tower north of Base Line Road in the vicinity is on county land near Leroy Boys Home, Fredericksen said.