Cell tower near Rye Elementary School? Bid to boost 'weak' service faces opposition

RYE — A potential solution for the town's famously poor cell service is already facing opposition due to safety concerns.

Verizon representatives and town leaders are exploring the possibility of locating a roughly 125-foot tall cell tower close to Rye Elementary School on land owned by SAU 50.

The idea is in its infancy and the wireless network giant has not officially filed a proposal with the town planning department. The Rye School Board will begin discussing the idea at its Feb. 21 meeting, when it will also review the final report from the state Commission to Study the Environmental and Health Effects of Evolving 5G Technology.

The commission's report from November 2020 recommended all new cell towers be set back 500 meters, or just over 1,640 feet, from populated areas. The Rye site being considered for a cell tower is a wooded area about 500 feet from the school, according to Howard Kalet, a member of the town’s Telecommunications Interface Committee.

References cited in the bipartisan committee's report noted that a wide range of health effects could be experienced by those with prolonged exposed to a cell tower within 500 meters, including headaches, dizziness, memory issues, fatigue, depression, "other neurobehavioral symptoms," and increased cancer risk. Its findings have led to some parents teaming up against the idea, with one collecting signatures for a virtual petition.

“The School Board is in the very early stages of considering this proposal and will be considering multiple factors, including assurance for the health and safety of staff and students,” said SAU 50 Superintendent Steve Zadravec.

The Telecommunications Interface Committee recently reported Verizon is seeking to add a tower in that location not only for Rye, but also due to its proximity to apartments on Lang Road in Portsmouth.

The wooded area near a field at the Sagamore Road school falls within the town’s Wireless Telecommunications Facilities District, an overlay district in the town’s zoning code formed about 25 years ago.

Poor cell coverage could be danger for school in an emergency

In a town riddled with poor cell coverage and only two cell towers, Kalet said a tower is crucial in addressing public safety, particularly in the school zone area.

“If an emergency took place in the school, we could not rely on wireless cell phone transmission in the school to communicate with the outside world,” he said.

“The School Board has to review it and decide if they want to progress the project or not. Part of what you have to appreciate is that there is virtually no cell phone service in this portion of town, so in the event of an emergency in the school, or in many parts of town… there would be no cell coverage. Virtually none,” Kalet added. “The coverage only gets worse when you have the summer season when you have more people placing demands on the system. From a safety point of view, it’s huge.”

The two existing town cell towers are located off Grove Road and along Port Way.

Town Administrator Matthew Scruton, Kalet and other town leaders recently toured the potential tower site.

"The Select Board recognizes the vital role of enhanced communication in fostering community connectivity and public safety,” Scruton said. “Understanding the need for improved coverage, the board supports finding a suitable location in town to build a tower to support a stronger, more interconnected community that thrives on seamless communication for the benefit of all residents.

“Cellular coverage in Rye is weak or non-existent in many areas of town,” he added. “Cell towers are not just about connectivity; they are a backbone of public safety, ensuring our community stays protected and connected when it matters the most.”

Rye parent: 'We can't let it happen'

Rye Elementary School mother Laura Belden, whose eldest child attends the town junior high school, is helping lead a parent group opposing the idea of the cell tower near school grounds.

She first read about it in the town’s newsletter, conducted her own research, read the state committee’s report and began her staunch opposition.

“My initial reaction once I read all this information was that we absolutely can’t do this,” she said. “We can’t let it happen. It’s not safe for our children, and children are one of the populations most susceptible to the frequencies that are put out by the cell towers.”

Belden has considered the benefits of increasing cell coverage in the school, particularly in case of an emergency, but made up her mind the location of the possible cell tower is too close for comfort. On Friday, she formed a parent petition against the idea that will be presented to the School Board before its Feb. 21 meeting.

“I’ve definitely heard that argument and I have thought about it,” she said of school safety. “Everybody in Rye wants more cell coverage, I get that. I’d like to talk to the principal and get her opinion on that. We do need to have emergency communications at the elementary school, but I have a really hard time believing that the only way to achieve that is by putting a whole cell tower on the property within 200 meters, which has been documented as not being safe.

“I think if that’s really the number one most important thing and if that really is an issue then we should be looking at what other options are at the elementary school for emergency communications,” Belden added. “There may be other options out there besides putting a cell tower on a school property.”

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Committee member Dr. Tom Sherman: 'I would not recommend' school site for cell tower

One of the members of the New Hampshire Commission to Study the Environmental and Health Effects of Evolving 5G Technology was Rye’s own Tom Sherman, a gastroenterologist and former New Hampshire state lawmaker and Democratic gubernatorial candidate.

On Friday, he made it clear the committee concluded cell towers “should not be anywhere near where children gather, and schools and other institutions” because of the unknowns that could occur from long-term exposure.

“The most important message is that we don’t know, and the industry will tell you there’s no danger. But that’s what the PFAS industry told us. That’s what the tobacco industry told us. If we don’t know, that doesn’t equate to safety,” he said.

“God forbid we go against the commission’s report and go against precautions,” he added. “Rye does need another cell tower but we don’t need it next to the school.”

Sherman was a New Hampshire state senator when he sat on the committee.

“All of this is unclear, and that’s why I would not recommend doing something that we know is harmful to children,” he said Friday.

Rye has struggled to find locations for cell towers

In 2019, the town established the Telecommunications Interface Committee, charging the board with studying cell phone service in Rye and making recommendations on how to improve coverage.

A consultant told the committee at least two more cell towers will be needed in town to boost service for users, Kalet reported. But finding the land to locate the towers is tricky in Rye.

“The committee has been trying to find locations that are town-owned locations rather than private land. We’ve been really unsuccessful in locating any new locations between wetlands and conservation land and the fact that you need a lot big enough to put a cell tower on,” he said.

Despite there being limited locations to potentially build a cell tower in Rye, Kalet said “the NIMBY (not in my backyard) principle is always there” and Kalet expects pushback from some residents.

For instance, land is available on Liberty Lane, but because it’s conservation land, it is unavailable for possible cell tower development, he said.

“The hope and desire that there’s another location in town that’s suitable may not exist. It should not be lost that putting in a cell tower for a company, whoever it happens to be. They’re not going to make the investment unless the economics work for that area,” said Kalet. “We may come up with a fantastic location in Rye, but since Rye has a low population density, it may not be an attractive tower to develop. One way or another, we kind of have to meet each other’s needs.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Cell tower near Rye NH school to fix 'weak' service faces opposition