The Community Association has received notice of a public open house session to discuss the proposed Tuscany cellular tower adjacent to Tuscany Blvd NW. Please see the brochure provided by Rogers Wireless (click here).
NOTICE OF PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE
Open House Date: April 26, 2012
Open House Duration: 5:30 – 7:30 pm
Open House Location: Tuscany Community Association Hall
Banquet Room A – 212 Tuscany Way NW, Calgary, AlbertaRogers Wireless Ltd. invites the community to an open house to discuss our proposed Tuscany telecommunications facility and to provide input into site design and tower aesthetics.
The Tuscany Community Association encourages all interested residents to attend and forward your comments or concerns to us. We also encourage you to provide your comments here on our website.
Roger claims “Possible alternative locations were investigated and ruled out due to factors such as closer proximity to residents, the high-density of housing in the neighbourhood and the west side of the community’s topography being too low.”
I claim this statement is a load of bull. I have examined Tuscany’s topography and it slopes from high to low from north to south.
Elevations on the west side are the same as the east side at the same latitude. They are proposing it to be installed in a low spot. The existing tower near the community is at the intersection of Crowchild and 12 Mile Coulee Road as that is the high point of ground. I have sent proof of this to the president of the TCA.
I am completely opposed to having a 200′ eyesore on the way into the community when it could easily be relocated to the west side.
The proposed new cell tower site is directly out our back door – we purchased our home on the ravine to enjoy nature at it’s finest and share the beauty of the ravine with thousands of our fellow Tuscany residents as they drive into the community each day, or enjoy it close up on the walking paths and often stop at the famed buffalo look-out point. If Rogers proceed with its plans, we would all be stopping at the historic buffalo to look directly at a towering 200′ cell structure.
While it is recognized that various utilities are essential, locating the proposed cell tower adjacent to an environmental reserve and in such close proximity to residents is a misuse of a very narrow strip of TUC land that, according to best land use planning protocol, should house utilities that can be burried, not erected 200 feet above ground.
I am in strong opposition to Rogers’ proposed cell tower site and am interested in developing a petition to forward to our elected representative who may advocate on our behalf with the governing body responsible for TUC planning in Calgary. I welcome your input.
Thought I would share my letter to the City Planning lead for the cell tower application:
Good evening Mr. Churchman,
As the Senior Planning Technician for the telecommunications structure located on the East side of Tuscany in the TUC, I wish to express my support for the City of Calgary rendering a decision of Non-Concurrence with the proposed application.
I submit the following statements in support of my position:
According the City of Calgary Telecommunications Antenna Structures Sitting Protocol Section 7.6, towers of 55 meters or greater in height should be at least three times height of the tower away from the nearest residential dwelling. The proposed site is currently ~80m from Villa D’Este building 3000 which is 1.3x the height of the tower. This is not consistent with the guidelines established by the City of Calgary.
A 60m tower is abnormally high for the Calgary area. The lowest antenna on the application is at 29m from the tower base. 18m is often sufficient for the effective operating of an antenna. In addition, the application cites that at 44 and 47m Shaw antennas will be placed. Shaw is no longer pursuing mobile service and is not one of the providers cited in the joint application. Were the first antenna to begin at 18 meters high and including the reduction of the redundant Shaw antennas; the tower may be reduced in height by 21m to 39 meters in height.
In addition, there are no towers within a five mile radius which have a height greater than 40 meters. It is difficult to understand why a 60m tower is necessary given the effective operation of the other existing towers and profile of the geography.
The application proposes the tower be approximately 27 meters away from an environmentally and historically sensitive area, Twelve Mile Coulee. Twelve Mile Coulee was not only used by the RCMP at Fort Calgary as a coach marker, it also has a history that is closely associated with our First Nations. An archaeological review of the area determined that camping and hunting dating back 8,000 years occurred in the area. A 2,000 year old tipi-ring is preserved in the Park. While the area is already increasingly disrupted, further disruption should be mitigated.
A site further South at Scenic Acres Link shows the greatest potential to ensure greater service, while minimizing impact to surrounding communities and the environment. This is only true if the applicant agrees to reduce the height of the tower from the present 60m. I have attached the below diagram to show the proposed site which remains in the TUC; however, may require adjustment due to rain water catching ponds.
If the tower were placed here at a reduced height, only 8 homes would be affected in Scenic Acres. This as opposed to the entire Villa D’Este complex, plus parts of Tuscany and Scenic Acres.
The tower would also comply with nearly all guidelines established by the City of Calgary through the Telecommunications Antenna Structures Sitting Protocol.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly. I may be reached by email or at XXXXXXXX.
I thank you for your consideration and kindly ask that my submission be incorporated into an decisions rendered by the City of Calgary.
Best,
Christopher G. Harper
Following a friend’s invitation (she is a Tuscany community member), I attended the Rogers open house tonight. I noticed that for most residents the problems with this tower is just esthetical, they don’t want to see it but they want to have perfect cell phone reception.
Nobody considers being radiated with microwave signals 24/7 may be a health concern.
In fact, having a shorter tower may bring the antennae closer to your homes, hence more radiation exposure for all of you.
Don’t follow the exposure limits from Health Canada, they are obsolete. RF public exposure limits in Canada are more than 100 times higher than the ones Russia and all European countries have.
In May 2011 the World Health Organization has classified all such signals (pulsed microwave such as Wi-Fi, Cell phone, etc.) in Class 2B as possibly carcinogen (causing cancer). Lead and DDT are in the same categorie. Both are banned for public use in Canada.
Would you like to spray pesticits on your lawn? Our have your kids playing with toys containing lead?
The only way to have less cell phone towers is not to use them, simple as that.
Let’s go back to the cell phone use as we had it in the late 1990s. Short essential calls, basic text and no more cell phone towers will be built. Guaranteed. Simply because there is no more demand.
The dumbest thing to do on a cell phone is sending pictures and streaming video. This takes up huge capacities on the network and the more users who do it, the more demand they create for towers and base stations.
If you don’t want a cell tower in your backyard, stop this smart phone madness. Go back to a basic phone with a basic plan, it is cheaper and safer.
More infos on http://www.bioinitiativereport.org or emrcontrol.ca
Andre Gigon, Canmore