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to the public that addresses all electromagnetic concerns, etc. He said that recent information is that <br /> there is more electromagnetic radiation in your house than what emanates from these towers. <br /> Renee Price asked about the health concerns of the residents versus the Planning <br /> Department's health information and if there is a conflict. Craig Benedict said that there was general <br /> nationwide information about the health risks associated with towers of this type and that the general <br /> health risks are weighed against the criteria within the ordinance and the provision of telecommunication <br /> facilities in a neighborhood are the primary concerns of promoting new towers. <br /> Renee Price asked about the end of moratorium and Craig Benedict said that it ends on <br /> September 6`h. On September 17`h, if the Board of County Commissioners approves the new ordinance, <br /> there could be some applications that have been submitted between that time. The new ordinance <br /> requires that these applications that have not been acted upon would fall under the new ordinance. <br /> Renee Price asked about the reviews within the ordinance and if existing towers would be <br /> subject to review and Craig Benedict said no. These reviews are for new towers only. Renee Price <br /> asked if these existing towers can be added to the reviews and he said that the Board of County <br /> Commissioners would have to make that determination. <br /> Ted Treibel made reference to tower inspections on page 13, item 'b' and said that he does not <br /> think you get a valid inspection from the ground and that the wording needs to be changed. He said that <br /> you need to check up closely and not only from the ground. Craig Benedict noted this. <br /> Jay Bryan asked if a strobe light could be prohibited under certain circumstances. Craig <br /> Benedict said that at less than 200 feet you could possibly prohibit them but a lot of these items are <br /> under FAA. <br /> Public Comment <br /> Gary Pennington, who was representing Verizon Wireless, distributed a hand out with four <br /> issues. He stated that Verizon has over 30 million customers and is committed to providing quality <br /> service. Regarding general issues about the industry, he said that we are becoming a wireless society. <br /> In order to implement this, it is going to be necessary to build the infrastructure to support this use. <br /> Presently, over 115 million people are using wireless communications in the United States today. He <br /> said that every day over 100,000 calls are made to 911 using wireless phones. Regarding the <br /> ordinance, he asked that the County work with the industry and not make it so overly difficult that the <br /> growth of the technology is suppressed. He thinks that the ordinance is well written, but he gave some <br /> written comments. He said that the industry likes objective criteria so that they know what to expect with <br /> the application process. In some instances, the cost to prepare an application could range between <br /> $30,000-50,000. He requested that one body hear the tower applications —the Board of Adjustment - <br /> which has more experience in hearing such matters as these. He said that it was always his preference <br /> to be before a non-partisan board so that a technical application is heard by a technical board. He made <br /> reference to the limitations on the hearing dates and asked that the application process not be limited to <br /> only twice a year. Another point is co-location and he said that he would like to see a separate part of <br /> the ordinance that deals explicitly with the co-location process. He said that Verizon does encourage co- <br /> location. He said that the reality is that in order to provide the coverage needed for this technology, new <br /> towers will need to be built. <br /> Liz Hill with American Tower commented on the application fee and she stated that this is ten <br /> times over any other project. She said that since the bulk of the application fee is for the consultant, it <br /> might work to put the $9,000 into an escrow fund for the consultant to draw off of. Then if it does not <br /> take $9,000 the industry would not have to pay the full amount. Her other concerns were with tower <br /> ownership and tower maintenance. She asked if the periodic review would apply to all towers in <br /> existence now, or only towers built under this ordinance. She does not know of any other place that <br /> requires a 36-month structural analysis. She said that if a carrier has co-located on a tower, or if the <br /> tower has had a structural modification in the 36 months, then a structural analysis would have been <br /> required anyway. She made reference to visual inspections and asked if this would be included in the <br /> 36-month structural analysis. Since there would be a full review every 36 months, then why have other <br /> inspections during the year unless something critical happens. She then spoke about the financial <br />