Sunday Soapbox: Cell Towers, Schools and NIMBYs

"Will this bring about a change in the law, a ban on cell towers being too close" to gas stations, daycares and houses?

This was a question a bystander asked as he watched flames shoot from the cell tower near Rockbridge on Friday, watched as the tower leaned toward a nearby daycare center and gas station.

About 20 children, including five infants, were evacuated from the Education Statation daycare center during the fire. The kids watched it burn from a nearby Ingles parking lot until their parents could get there and pick them up. Some seemed to think it was great fun, while others looked quietly traumatized.

"It was very scary," said Robin Skelley a teacher at the daycare center. "Especially with all the babies and little kids."

And then there are schools, like Smoke Rise Elementary, that have agreed to put a tower on school property. It's good revenue in these times of shrinking budgets, but is it worth it?

When a Tucker school was considering putting up a tower on its property, a lot of parents were vehemently against it, and some were concerned about possible ill effects on the children's health.

I haven't met anyone who wants a cell tower near his or her home. Why does anyone think it's a good idea to have them near schools and daycare centers?

On the other hand, no one wants to make do without a cell phone, either.

So, where is the best place for them? Or are they no more dangerous than any other tall structure?