"As part of its creation of a cellular network in Charlottesville, Verizon Wireless wants to build a half dozen towers and cellular structures in residential neighborhoods and perhaps at local schools.

Though the company has not settled on any locations, the city’s Planning Commission has paved the way for the expansion by changing the local ordinance to allow cell towers in residential areas. Any proposal for a new antenna or cell site would have to get the commission’s approval.

Yet the idea has produced a backlash. More than two dozen residents of the Greenbrier neighborhood have written to the city stating that they do not want a tower at the local elementary school because of the unknown long-term effects of sustained exposure to electromagnetic radiation.

Verizon Wireless currently does not sell service to residents in Charlottesville, Albemarle and five surrounding counties and the company’s

signals run on Alltel Wireless’ network. The company is looking to complete its own network in the area by 2010 and is also attempting to purchase Alltel.

Even if the acquisition goes through, Verizon Wireless representatives say they need to add at least six more antennas in commercial areas in Charlottesville and six in neighborhoods to have adequate coverage.

“The existing facilities just can’t keep up with the capacity,” Steven Blaine, a local lawyer representing Veri-zon Wireless, said. “The capacity is filling up and we have to look for sites closer to users.”

By placing cellular towers in neighborhoods, the company could ensure that subscribers have better service and more features such as two-way picture and video messaging and the ability to connect to the Internet and e-mail, representatives say.

The antennas and cell sites would not look like the traditional latticed tower. Instead, they would be camouflaged, or “stealth,” antennas, designed to look like trees or flagpoles.

“You aren’t even aware a cell site is there because it is not a tower in the conventional sense,” said John Johnson, a Verizon Wireless spokesman.

Technicians for the company are still determining where in Charlottesville the towers would need to be placed for maximum coverage. A property owner would have to sign a land lease with Verizon Wireless and then the Planning Commission and the City Council would have to grant permission.

One location floated by Verizon Wireless has raised concern: Greenbrier Elementary.

Earlier this year Verizon Wireless representatives met with the neighborhood to discuss the possibility of building a cell site at the school, though they stressed that no decision had been made.

According to neighborhood leaders, Verizon Wireless would pay the school between $20,000 to $25,000 per year to rent the space. Verizon Wireless could locate the antennae near the tree line at the edge of the school’s property.

School officials say they will not make any decisions until they see a formal proposal from the company and then hear from neighbors.

“Our position is to wait and see what the community wants. We aren’t going to do anything the community doesn’t want,” said Jim Henderson, the assistant superintendent for administrative services.

Some neighbors have expressed either concern or outright opposition to the idea. They fear that exposing children to cell phone towers could have a detrimental impact down the road.

“We don’t know for sure it is dangerous, but we don’t know for sure that it is safe,” said Natalie Russell, who has a child who will attend the school in a few years. “We’re concerned because kids will be there all day every week.”

Paul Yates, a professor in ophthalmology and biomedical engineering at the University of Virginia, believes that not enough research has been conducted on the long-term effects of exposure to electromagnetic radiation.

“The problem is we will not know how many extra cases of leukemia and brain tumors result from this exposure for many years,” Yates, who lives in Greenbrier and has a 2-year-old son, wrote to planning commissioners. “Maybe it will be zero, but if it turns out eventually to be even one extra case at Greenbrier, would that be worth the rent that Verizon paid to the city to keep this on their property?”

Verizon Wireless officials respond that scientific research has demonstrated that antennas higher than 32 feet do not generate enough ground-level exposure to cause a safety problem.

“These types of facilities at the height and very low power do not come even close to the emissions that the [Federal Communi-cations Commission] would require testing,” Blaine said." (Seth Rosen, The Daily Progress, June 19, 2008)