Is THIS Lakeside's Cell Tower?

New permit approved by DeKalb County for cell tower by T-mobile near Northlake Mall:

Is THIS the cell tower that will solve the communications problems at Lakeside?

Or could this FCC permit from several years ago be the new Lakeside cell tower?

Is this application on file the one that was shot down by the community in 1997?  Is it still valid today, even without a tower actually being built there?  Has T-mobile applied for an actual permit to build a tower here?  Can they move ahead without a contract with DeKalb County Schools? 

The players:

There are a lot of players trying to get OUR money.  Let's take a look:

Lakeside

Why aren't those people in the Lakeside community complaining about how they were the ONLY school to state that they actually WANTED a tower and they are the only school to NOT have a signed agreement?  Could it be that the tower is not what they really want?  Perhaps it was just a way to bully the other parents at the other schools into keeping quiet about expressing their concerns for fear of ridicule by those who were so "in favor."  Can any of the other contracts be valid when the whole purpose (as stated publically by Paul Womack, Pam Speaks, Donna Edler, Jay Cunningham and other board membbers) was to improve the cell reception at Lakeside?  If T-mobile is not holding up the primary intent of the agreement ... then the whole deal should be OFF. 

The School Board

And, just because the school board wants to press ahead with building, shouldn't our county still uphold its own zoning ordinances regarding safe placement of cell towers away from residential areas or other areas where the public can reasonably be expected to gather (like schools)?  There is NO educational purpose to ANY  cell tower at ANY school.  AND... the money CANNOT be used for any primary school purpose.  Cell towers provide a slush fund for those at the top,  or special interest groups and nothing more.  The money does not come from taxes and in a public education system, that means the money cannot be relied upon as a portion of the budget as that is an intrusion by the private sector. 

The board will meet tomorrow, June 20, to announce their plans for cuts to the budget in order to make up for the shortfall being blamed on our property values.  Funny - if they did their jobs then our property values would be increasing and we wouldn't be in this mess at all, would we?

The CEO

If the CEO of DeKalb County is considering special permits, shouldn't the public at least be aware of them?  Don't we have the right to know if construction will soon begin in our own neighborhoods?  Don't we have the constitutional right to address our own governement over grievences?  How can we do that if we don't know what they are planning to do?

ATT

If ATT wants to build a school or contribute to Lakeside's construction, then let them make a donation to the Valhalla Group.  We should not expect some neighborhoods to pay a high price by giving up valuable educational space for the next 30 years just to fund a few pet projects under the table.  Why should anyone be forced to have a cell tower in their own backyard or at their child's school? A possible carcinigen on school grounds should be something we would PAY to eradicate, not something we are considering allowing on our grounds. 

The Tax Commissioner

We pay a large portion of our property taxes to our school system to educate children, but they are cutting valuable resourses, teachers, science centers and more while they increase their own budgets, discuss their own travel plans and approve millions for lawyers to get them out of trouble. 

This budget shortfall is being blamed on the tax situation in DeKalb County, but our Tax Commissioners office has admitted to giving out "faulty data" last year due to a software issue.  And, again this year, they are claiming the same thing.  If the taxes were correct, would we have enough money to fund all of our programs without having to look at these cuts? If the state wasn't cutting our funding or "redistributing" our money to other counties, then would we still be in the dire straights we find ourselves in today?

The Astroturf Campaigns (fake "grass roots" groups claiming to be ordinary citizens but really advocating for hidden agendas)

Is it so far fetched to believe they might also try to give the public the false impression that there is any support out there at all for cell towers on school grounds?  Wouldn't it make more sense that most parents wish their kids would pay attention in school and not be texting each other?  Wouldn't most logical human beings advocate protecting children and not risking their health? 

Where are all these "supporters" for cell towers?  They have not actually shown up to any event where both sides were encouraged to speak out.  Even T-mobile doesn't want to talk about the "good" side of cell towers.  Otherwise they would have worded their event flyers in a way that actually encouraged people to attend.  That's because they know that the only good in it is for them... they get tax free access to our neighborhoods and schools.  They get to take the cheap way out of providing their service.  And they get to sublease their space (our space) for big profits. 

Are there any true supporters for cell towers at schools?  We may find out the answer to that question when the July 31 election results are available.  If it does nothing else, perhaps this ballot question will shine a light on the pockets of corruption in our county. 

VOTE JULY 31 for NO CELL TOWERS ON SCHOOL GROUNDS

No matter where you live... please vote and tell others to do the same.  We will continue to hope that the good side of human nature will prevail and we will learn that no matter what else is involved here - politics, money, corruption - that no one really can say "yes" to placing a possible carcinigen at an elementary school in our county.  No matter what they have been promised, no matter what they have been told - there is nothing that will make us turn on each other to the degree that we would put an innocent child in harm's way. 

We are counting on the good inside of our followers to help us spread the word.  No cell towers.  Not now.  Not ever.  Not at our schools or near our homes.  Raise our taxes, but please don't radiate our children.  The science isn't certain.  The research isn't in.  The top scientists in the world have urged caution ... it is up to us to listen.