WASHINGTON — Can’t get a decent cell phone signal in parts of Greenbelt?
It could be due to the scarcity of cell phone towers in the municipality but
council member Rodney Roberts doesn’t mind.
“Our civilization lived a long, long time, and survived quite well without
cell phones.”
When it comes to having cell phone reception, Roberts said, “It’s not a
requirement of life.”
On Monday, the members of the Greenbelt City Council voted to make their
feelings on putting cell towers on school properties clear: They are opposed.
And they’re not alone.
Groups from Anne Arundel, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties have formed
to prevent the construction of cell towers near schools.
The council voted to draft letters to the Prince George’s County board of
education and Superintendent Dr. Kevin Maxwell asking for greater transparency
on the site selection for cell towers in the city of Greenbelt.
As the members hashed about the language of their proposal, council member
Edward Putens said, “I want to know if there’s any plans or any leases or
anything that has to do with a Greenbelt school.”
A contract to construct cell towers on as many as 70 public school properties
was approved in 2011, when the Prince George’s County schools partnered with
Milestone Communications, but Greenbelt council members say there was little
to no transparency or opportunity for public input.
Council members say they’re aware that there’s no hard evidence linking cell
towers to health threats like cancer, but say that there’s enough question to
merit concern. And council member Judith Davis said there are plenty of other
issues that give rise to concern, including the need to build roads on school
property to allow for frequent maintenance.
“Unauthorized personnel would have access to school grounds, and then if the
tower were to fall in extreme weather: those are all good points of not having
[a cell tower] in an area where there are kids.”
The contracts that allow for the cell towers on school property could generate
up to $2.5 million dollars system- wide, but the members of the Greenbelt
council said when it comes to putting cell towers on schools in their city:
they’d remain opposed.
Milestone put out an FAQ on their
agreements with Prince George’s County Public Schools.
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report.
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