By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI, recorder.com, 28 Nov. 2024
(Photo): Greenfield residents Michael Johnson and Karen Bergeron stand across from their home on Newton Street near where a cell tower has been proposed. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ
Newton Street resident Laura Josephs posted a GoFundMe on Thursday, Nov. 21, with the goal of raising $5,000 for legal counsel to challenge Viridi’s application. As of Wednesday, the neighbors have raised $1,200 from six different donors, the most significant of which was a $1,000 donation from Elana Kirshenbaum, one of the organizers.
“None of us are anti-technology — we’re not saying we don’t believe in technology, but we want technology that’s going to serve the community and be safe and not pose risks to the community,” Kirshenbaum said in an interview Monday. “This tower is being sited near residential homes, near a school. It’s going to be equivalent to like an 18-story building, so we’re talking about not only just a decline in aesthetic value to the community, the rural character the community; we’re talking about property devaluation.”
Kirshenbaum argued that the proposed cell tower’s location in a wooded area poses a fire risk in the event that it gets struck by lightning and cited the common belief that the presence of cell towers in a neighborhood can decrease property values. She also pointed to the work of Dr. Kent Chamberlin, who served on New Hampshire’s Commission to Study the Environmental and Health Effects of Evolving 5G Technology in 2019.
The state commissioned the study amid health concerns about 5G cell towers. The final report, published in 2020, suggested that New Hampshire draft more stringent regulations on wireless communication towers throughout the state, due to concerns that they might emit harmful radiation.
“No one argues that ionizing radiation from the high energy and frequency ultraviolet, x-ray and gamma ray end of the electromagnetic spectrum are a danger to all living things,” the report states. “There is mounting evidence that DNA damage can occur from radiation outside the ionizing part of the spectrum.”
The regulations recommended in the report include regular radiation testing near cell towers, eliminating the use of RF wireless connections for computers and other devices in schools and public libraries, and creating municipally enforceable setback requirements of wireless communication poles from public ways, businesses, residences and schools.
“The majority of the commission believes that some balance can be struck to achieve the benefits of technology without jeopardizing the health of our citizens,” the report continues.
Of those involved in a door-to-door effort to oppose Viridi’s application in Greenfield is Karen Bergeron, who has lived on Newton Street for the last 40 years. She said she is primarily concerned with the tower’s potential for negative health impacts.
“Thirty feet from my back porch, I have tail pipes. Route 2, I have tail pipes. The street is so busy that this place is surrounded by tail pipes — there’s enough poison for everybody right there,” Bergeron said. “This is just a big circle of pollution as it is. We don’t need anything else added.”
Other Franklin County residents opposing the cell tower, including Josephs of Greenfield and Jonathan Mirin of Charlemont, raised similar concerns that the tower could have negative health consequences and might bring down property values.
Mirin argued that the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which sought to lower costs associated with wireless connection through deregulation, took power away from municipalities to block cell tower development.
“There are literally thousands of studies showing pollinator impacts, cancer impacts, damage to the trees themselves, nervous system impacts, etc., particularly for young people,” Mirin said. “The ZBA has plenty of good reasons to deny, because in this case you have 100% coverage, and you have properties that are going to be devalued right next to the tower.”
Greenfield Planning Director Eric Twarog said in a previous interview that he is optimistic to hear the proposal, stating that he believes the community is in need of faster and more consistent wireless connection.
“The world is a wireless location now,” Twarog said. “There’s a need in this area to fill this gap.”
The Conservation Commission previously approved Viridi’s monopole application. The ZBA meeting has not been posted yet.
Viridi Wireless representatives could not be reached for comment.
Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com or 413-930-4429.
https://recorder.com/Greenfield-residents-launch-GoFundMe-to-fight-cell-tower-proposal-58179346
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