Dear Mayor Murray and the Enterprise Board:

I am writing to express my concern regarding the proposal to install a 260 foot cell phone tower in the historic district of Enterprise, MS (Lat 32.174°, Lon -88.815°). I urge you to vote no to the proposal at the meeting on Tuesday, January 7th, 2014 at 6pm.

I am strongly opposed to the proposed cell phone tower for the following reasons:

• The proposed tower could put the health and safety of our children at risk - Cell phone towers (and cell phones) emit electromagnetic radiation.[1] While the FDA and cell phone companies have said they believe the radiation is safe, the truth is we just don’t know enough yet to determine the long term effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields. In fact, Harvard-trained Dr. Andrew Weil recently noted, “In January 2008, the National Research Council (NRC), an arm of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, issued a report saying that we simply don't know enough about the potential health risks of long-term exposure to RF energy from cell phones themselves, cell towers, television towers, and other components of our communications system. The scientists who prepared the report emphasized, in particular, the unknown risks to the health of children, pregnant women, and fetuses as well as of workers whose jobs entail high exposure to RF (radiofrequency) energy….Because so much of cell phone technology is new and evolving, we don't have data on the consequences of 10, 20 or 30 years worth of exposure to the RF energy they emit,” Weil concluded.[2] According to certain studies the threat is real. An Australian study, for example, found that children living near TV and FM broadcast towers, which emit similar radiation to cell towers, developed leukemia at three times the rate of children living over seven miles away.[3] The proposed tower location is approximately 635 yards from Enterprise High School and approximately 900 yards from Enterprise Elementary and Enterprise Middle School. Given the risks and unknowns, it would be a poor decision to locate a tower so close to the three public schools in our town.

• A cell phone tower and base station could cause a drop in property values - The East Enterprise Historic District is federally recognized in the National Register of Historic Places, and we believe the proposed tower location will visually impact the area.[4] We enjoy a beautiful and historic neighborhood in Enterprise. A cell phone tower in the middle of a residential area, however, will mar the beauty of the neighborhood and decrease its desirability for residents and homebuyers alike. According to a 2005 study published in the Appraisal Journal, “the results of the sales analysis show prices of properties were reduced by around 21% after a CPBS [cell phone tower] was built in the neighborhood.”[5] This should be particularly concerning to local governments as lower property values would result in lower property tax assessments and property tax revenues.

• The proposed tower could cause damaging changes to the ecosystem from woodlands to watershed – The immediate area surrounding the proposed site is home to dozens of species of wildlife, including the endangered Gulf sturgeon which spawns in the Chickasawhay River.[6] In addition to local hunting and fishing that could be impacted, there could also be impacts to farm and ranch animals such as horses, cattle, chicken, goats and domestic pets. A recent review of the literature by the Bombay Natural History Society found 593 studies showing the negative impact of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) from cell phone towers on birds, bees, wildlife, and plants.[7] As local stewards of our environment, it is our responsibility to protect the flora and fauna from the “downward scatter” of cell phone tower radiation.

As the long-term impact of cell phone towers on individuals, neighborhoods and wildlife is still unknown, I urge Mayor Murray and the Board to oppose the proposed tower in the historic district of Enterprise, MS (at Lat 32.174°, Lon -88.815°).

[1] http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/cell-phone-radiation2.htm