Local election results

In addition to the T-SPLOST vote, other races were closely watched in our neighborhood. Commissioner Kathie Gannon was re-elected and so were Burrell Ellis (CEO) and Claudia Lawson (tax commissioner).  For Board of Education elections results, see below. All images courtesy of the AJC.

Image courtesy of the AJC.

And on a topic near and dear to our neighborhood: a non-binding referendum on whether the county should allow cell phone towers to be built on school property drew a clear answer:

Image courtesy of the AJC.

DeKalb Co. Board of Commissioners says NO to cell towers

Patch reports that the DeKalb Board of Commissioners (BOC) has unanimously asked CEO Ellis to prevent the Board of Education (BOE) from allowing T-Mobile to place cell phone towers on school grounds. The article includes a pdf of the letter, in which the Commissioners accuse the BOE of placing the county in an "untenable situation."

Medlock Park neighbors fought hard to prevent a tower from being added to the Medlock Elementary school property. Here's to hoping that other neighborhoods can reverse this ill-conceived scheme with help from the BOC and CEO.

In their letter, the Commissioners argue as Medlock neighbors did: that the BOE is bound by zoning law when a decision is self-serving ("proprietary") and unrelated to its educational ("governmental") mission. In other words, loopholes that violate the spirit of the County's zoning law are violations of the zoning law, whether you are a private individual or a government agency.

Patch states that

 The school board and the school system, so far, have been unreceptive to protestations since their approval vote. Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson continues to look ahead, Woods said.
"The decision was made well before her administration," she said. "Her point of view is that we need to focus on decisions yet to be made."

By this logic, the Superintendent would never correct or reverse previous administrative policy that has been found to be damaging to our students and community. Surely she did not mean that! Happily, there's an easy way for her to clarify: end these shenanigans.

AJC reports: Lawmakers hold hearing on cell towers

Last summer, Medlock Elementary and it surrounding homes narrowly escaped being occupied by a giant cell phone tower. Other schools and neighborhoods were not so lucky.

In an attempt to prevent projects of this type,

State Rep. Karla Drenner, D-Avondale Estates, said she plans to introduce legislation banning construction of the towers near schools because of concerns about radiation safety.

For the full article (which is rather brief), see http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/lawmakers-hold-hearing-on-1351720.html

:) No Cell Tower at Medlock!

Success! The DCSS Board of Education voted to approve a motion by Mr. McChesney to remove several schools from the T-Mobile cell tower proposal. The schools he listed were Medlock, Brockett and Meadowview. When asked for a reason, he replied that he believed in allowing people to decide on what they want in their neighborhoods (paraphrased). Here is Mr. McChesney making the motion:

Some board members objected to the motion, stating that they had heard that individuals in those same areas wanted the proposal to be approved. Ms. Edler tried to remove all schools from the proposal, but this motion was defeated.

Ms. Jester addressed Mr. Donahue (DCSS, Executive Director, Plant Services), who was presenting the proposal, to say she was disappointed that the vote was taking place when they had had so little time to review the contracts financial details, which she had hoped would be posted online. She also said she favored an opt-in approach so that schools could choose to join the proposal, vs. an automatic inclusion with the option to opt out.

A rather useless photo showing an almost-unanimous vote to remove
the three schools from the proposal. Ms. Edler voted against as she was
trying to propose another motion to eliminate all schools from the proposal list,
effectively rejecting the proposal in its totality. 

Following a vote, Medlock, Brockett and Meadowview are no longer being considered as cell tower sites.

Had the proposal been approved, that would have signaled an agreement from DCSS to proceed with cell tower construction. T-Mobile would have had 6 months to sort out the legal side (zoning, permits), and a 6 month grace period to complete said paperwork. At that point, if legalities had not been handled, the contract would have been void.

A big thank you to the Board of Education for listening to its citizens. And a big thank you also to the five MANA members who stood up to address the BoE.

We look forward to collaborating with DCSS soon to discuss lease options for Medlock Elementary.

Cute AND Feisty! Go MANA!

MANA VP Pat Camp addressing the news for the second time today...
this time to say how important it is for citizens to follow up with
their elected officials and not give in to cynicism.

The Dekalb County School Watch blog has detailed notes of the meeting; scroll down to the updated section of the post.

July 11: DCSS Board of Education Meeting Agenda includes Cell Tower Proposal Vote

Dear Elected Officials of the DCSS,

Dear Medlock neighbors,

Per the agenda posted at the DCSS website, July 11 may be the day when the cell tower proposal is voted on. See item 31 for specifics.

Several documents are linked to the above page and include additional details about the proposal being considered. For instance, the lease on the property, as stated, would run 30 years. This impacts our neighborhood in the very long run and may constrain future usage of the school lot.

Note that on July 11, the board will first vote to approve the agenda (i.e., there is a possibility they will vote to delay specific items in the agenda). The meeting will also include a period where citizens may ask to address the board. As suggested by Commissioner Gannon, we should make a strong show and attend this meeting, ideally decked out in MANA t-shirts.

The DCSS BOE policy cited below explains how citizens may sign up to address the BOE. If you opt to address the board, note there is a 3-minute limit. Please practice your statement in advance, bring notes, and emphasize the following talking points:

1 - As the property in question is no longer being used as a school, this property does not qualify for the zoning exemption allowed for schools and churches.

2 - The timing of this project is premature, if not poorly thought out. The School Board has not announced its complete plans for the school system - the 2020 plan - which would give us a long-term idea of what will happen on this property, and AT&T's pursuit of T-Mobile could mean that the tower is completely unnecessary given AT&T has adequate coverage in this area.

3 - The potential combined damage to our neighborhood (school closing + an unwanted cell tower) is much larger than the sum of its parts. A cell tower entails environmental hazard--a possible danger to wildlife, especially birds, which have sanctuaries nearby.

4 - The tower itself is a huge eyesore looming over the tops of all the nearby trees, and the centrality of its location means it impacts neighbors many streets away from the site.

5 - Real estate value is damaged by the placement of a piece of industrial equipment in a residential area. The perception of health risk from cell towers, whether substantiated or not, can influence potential buyers and renters and thwart sellers.

DCSS Meeting Location:

Administrative and Instructional Complex
J. David Williamson Board Room
1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd
Stone Mountain, GA  30083

Meeting Time: 6:00 PM

- - - - 

DCSS Board Policy: Public Participation in Board Meetings

Descriptor Code:KCA

The DeKalb County Board of Education encourages citizens to be involved in public education. To facilitate this involvement, the Board will listen to citizen comments immediately following the call to order and prior to the adoption of the agenda for its regularly scheduled work sessions.

The following guidelines will be observed for receiving and hearing comments from citizens during the public comment portion of the work sessions:

• The Board encourages individuals to contact the Superintendent, his administrative staff and/or local school administrators in an effort to secure a satisfactory solution to any concerns prior to referral to the Board of Education.

• All persons wishing to address the Board during the citizen comment portion of the work sessions will be given a copy of this policy.

• To be eligible those wishing to speak must submit in writing to the board office via letter, fax, or e-mail a request (MARGARET_C_FRANCOIS@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us) to speak which must be received no later than 12:00 noon on the day of the Board Work Session. Such requests shall include information regarding the topic to be addressed and previous steps taken to resolve the concern prior to making the request to speak. In addition, speakers may complete their own Request to Comment card in person between 4:45 and 5:45 p.m. on the day of the work session. Cards must be completely filled out. Speakers will be heard in the order they submit their requests. Each speaker addressing the Board shall have a maximum of three (3) minutes to speak.

• The public comment portion of the meeting will be a maximum of one (1) hour or 20 speakers.

• It shall be out of order for any citizen to verbally and/or physically attack an employee of the school system in a public meeting.

• The Board will not allow abusive language, threats, comments, jeers, applause or shouts from the floor. Disruptive persons will be asked to leave the meeting room.

DeKalb County Schools

- - - -

Cell Tower news

The North Druid Hills-Briarcliff Patch draws attention to continued opposition to the Medlock cell tower proposal, apparently reporting from statements made by Joanne Massey at last night's MANA meeting.

MANA would like to issue a correction to the following statement:

"That defense comes in the form of an attorney Massey has hired to represent the association’s interests."

MANA is indeed opposed to a cell tower at Medlock Elementary but, as noted in last night's meeting, the lawyer mentioned in the article is being paid for by the Masseys and several contributing neighbors, not by MANA.

June 29 Update: Patch has posted the following correction:

CORRECTION: This story said potential tenants at Medlock Elementary School have expressed dissatisfaction with the possibility of a cell tower at the school. No potential tenants have expressed concern. Massey said she was concerned some might. The story also implied that the association hired an attorney. The attorney was hired by a group of residents fighting the tower proposal, and the attorney doesn't represent the association. The errors have been corrected in the story.

---

This is a perfect opportunity to remind all neighbors to keep writing to the DeKalb County School System's Board of Education lest they forget how very opposed we are to a cell tower in the heart of our neighborhood. The wrong-headedness of this proposal is confirmed by Dan Drake's announcement that Medlock will be leased and used as school grounds in the next ~5 years.

As Commissioner Gannon reminded us last night, with the DCSS Board of Education controlling such a large percentage of property tax revenue, we need to hold them accountable and attend their meetings. MANA is keeping an eye on the meeting schedule, with July 11 as a potential date when the cell tower proposal will be discussed. Some neighbors are interested in attending and we will post a reminder as that date draws closer.

Meanwhile, you can register your cell tower discontent by signing the online petition (click on the monopole tower on the right margin) or directly by emails to the Board. You can grab those addresses from our previous post here.

Good News: DCSS did NOT vote on cell tower proposal tonight

MANA attended the DCSS BOE meeting this evening. We are pleased to share with community that the vote on the cell phone tower did not take place tonight. It will be taken up again at future date to be determined.

In the interim, neighbors who oppose the tower will have more time to write the BOE, sign the petition, and hopefully attend the meeting when the proposal is on the agenda again.

DCSS must table the T-Mobile cell tower decisions until July

The text below is edited to correct errors in a previous version. 

It appears that the cell tower proposal discussion is on the agenda today, June 13, 6pm, and has not been delayed, as MANA was informed late last week.

Calls from MANA to Mr. McChesney have not been returned. The Secretary of the BOE explained that the Board does not meet with citizens on business meetings, only on working meetings.

The Board meets at 4pm today to approve the agenda, therefore, there is still time for the DCSS Board to do the right thing and for you to nudge them along. Here are the Board and Interim Superintendent's addresses:

ramona_tyson@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
thomas_bowen@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
H_Paul_Womack@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
sarah_copelin-wood@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
jay_cunningham@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
donna_edler@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
nancy_jester@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
don_mcchesney@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
pam_speaks@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
eugene_p_walker@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

To view the DCSS Board Meeting Schedule and Agendas, go to
https://eboard.eboardsolutions.com/Meetings/MeetingListing.aspx?S=4054
and under today's 6pm meeting you will find Action Item G5. T-Mobile Wireless Tower Placements.

If you have not done so already, email the DCSS Board and share your concerns. Also ask that they delay the T-Mobile Cell Tower proposal decision to allow the community to address the Board.

And it's not just us: the DeKalb School Watch blog also questions DCSS's wisdom in pursuing the cell tower proposal.

Petition Against Installing a T-Mobile Cell Phone Tower at Medlock Elementary

MANA is disseminating the following petition on behalf of its many neighbors' concerns over DCSS's cell tower proposal:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/778/923/897/

Signatures will be sent to the powers that be.

- - - - -

We, the undersigned, appeal to the DeKalb County School System's Board of Education and to interim superintendent Ramona Tyson that you abandon the proposal to lease school ground space to T-Mobile for the installation of cell phone towers. In specific, we oppose the tower proposed for Medlock Elementary School in Decatur, GA. Our reasons are many:

FISCAL AND FINANCIAL CONCERNS:
- Medlock Park neighbors are dealing with a property value triple whammy:
* The closing of Medlock Elementary and loss of one of our neighborhood's selling points ("walk to school").
* A large, empty building in the middle of our neighborhood. We have no information of how the property will be maintained.
* The prospect of an inescapable 150-foot tall eyesore.
The specter of increased millage rates simply compounds the above.
- While DCSS stands to gain financially via a long-term cell tower lease, Medlock Park neighbors get nothing we want or need.
- Cell tower decisions should wait until DCSS's long-term plan is revealed in full. T-Mobile's financial targets and deadlines are neither Medlock Park's nor DCSS's problem.
- Neighborhood leaders have attempted to work with DCSS to find desirable tenants to lease the school building and generate income for DCSS. Although our efforts to help have been stonewalled, our offer stands.
- Leasing school property to cell tower companies does not address the source of DCSS's fiscal problems. We reject this "Band-Aid" approach as the distraction it is.

HEALTH CONCERNS AND PEACE OF MIND:
- Some neighbors worry about health impacts. So might potential leaseholders (in particular if their business tends to young children).
- We worry this is but the tip of the iceberg. If one tower makes money, why not two? What other businesses or structures are being considered? As long as the land remains part of the DCSS (i.e., government-owned), it remains exempt from zoning restrictions that protect neighbors.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS:
- We have yet to see any environmental impact assessments. We are in particular concerned about the known dangers that communication towers pose to migratory birds. Does the site's elevation present additional dangers to birds beyond those calculated for a "typical" 150-foot tower? Medlock Elementary is located near water sources that attract birds, and is surrounded by multiple wildlife corridors and parks that provide habitat for many native bird species.

We hold and will continue to hold our DCSS and DeKalb County elected officials accountable, in particular as additional taxes are proposed for the November ballot (i.e., SPLOT).

Cell Tower Proposal To Be Discussed by DCSS on???

6-9 UPDATE: There may be changes to the agenda discussed below. MANA is seeking clarification about when the cell tower proposal will be discussed by the DCSS Board. It currently appears discussion will take place in July. Will share additional information as it becomes available.



According to the preliminary June 13 meeting agenda distributed at the June 6 DCSS Board meeting, the cell tower proposal will be discussed later this month:

Action Item G.1.
T-Mobile Wireless Tower Placements
Presented by: Mr. Steven Donahue, Executive Director, Plant Services

The meeting will take place at

Administrative and Instructional Complex
J. David Williamson Board Room
1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd
Stone Mountain, GA  30083
June 13, 2011 6:00 PM

DCSS posts their meeting agenda online, on the day of the meeting. You can find recent meeting agendas here, see right margin, under "Board Meetings."

Please continue to contact DCSS Board Members and the Interim Superintendent to convey your feelings about the cell tower proposal. See this post for their contact information

And if you can attend the meeting on June 13, please do.

Cell Tower Update: It's Showtime

Dekalb County School System has posted the full scope of their cell tower plan, see http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/news-and-info/cell-phone-towers

For Medlock Elementary, you will see they list two potential sites. MANA contacted Mr. Steve Donahue at Plant Managemnet (DCSS), who said the original proposal included 2 suggested sites but they are considering one only. Communications between the MANA zoning chair Teresa Same and a T-Mobile representative reveal that the the actual location of the tower has not been decided upon, and may not be limited to the 2 sites listed. Also, that T-Mobile will be pursuing this location regardless of how neighbors may feel about it. But remember: T-Mobile can't do anything without the DCSS Board's buy-in and blessing.

DCSS has posted its board meeting schedule at http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/board-of-education/meetings-and-minutest, but gives no clues as to whether the cell tower issue is on their next meeting agenda.  This week, Mr. McChesney (DCSS Board member) responded to MANA inquiries with the following information:

• that the meeting agenda is determined by the chair, vice chair and superintendent
• that he does not yet know what the agenda is
• that people should email the Board of Education "to let their feelings be known."

Sounds like an...

! ! ! ACTION ALERT ! ! !

Not what William Shakespeare had in mind when he wrote
"O for a horse with wings!"

Call or email the DCSS Board and Interim Superintendent Tyson and let them know how you feel about cell towers in school yards, Medlock Elementary in particular. 

       

Ask that they

1. post the meeting agenda (or at least indicate when cell tower decisions will be discussed), and 
2. remove Medlock Elementary from their potential site list, or at the very least stop considering Medlock until the county's 10-year plan is revealed in August.

Please use your own words and arguments. A brief and sincere note in your own voice is better than a form letter.

Detailed contact information appears below. Here's their emails for cut/paste convenience...

ramona_tyson@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

thomas_bowen@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

H_Paul_Womack@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

sarah_copelin-wood@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

jay_cunningham@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

donna_edler@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

nancy_jester@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

don_mcchesney@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

pam_speaks@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

eugene_p_walker@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

 CELL TOWER DECIDERS: DCSS Board (left) and Interim Superintendent (right)
Wonder if THEY have cell towers in their backyards and at their children's schools?

Ramona Tyson

Interim Superintendent
678.676.0010
ramona_tyson@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

Thomas E. Bowen

Chair; District 6

404.392.1621

thomas_bowen@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

H. Paul Womack Jr

Vice Chair; District 4

404.680.8790

H_Paul_Womack@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

Sarah Copelin-Wood

Board Member

404.371.1490

sarah_copelin-wood@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

Jesse Jay Cunningham Jr.

Board Member; District 5

404.392.3091

jay_cunningham@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

Donna G Edler

Board Member

404.394.1238

donna_edler@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

Nancy T. Jester

Board Member; District 1

404.394.8750

nancy_jester@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

Donald E. McChesney

Board Member; District 2

404.664.2458

don_mcchesney@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

Pamela A. Speaks

Board Member; District 8

404.931.7971

pam_speaks@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

Eugene P. Walker

Board Member

404.593.5095

eugene_p_walker@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

DeKalb Co. School Board: Can you hear me now?

The following recap/editorial of the May 11 meeting is not an official statement from the MANA board. It was volunteered by a long-time neighbor and MANA member.

Representatives from T-Mobile; DeKalb Co. Board of Education member Donald McChesney (District 2 representative, which covers Medlock Elementary); and Steve Donahue (Executive Director of Plant Services, Dekalb Co. County Schools) were at hand on Wednesday evening to hear what the MANA community had to say about the proposed construction of a cell phone tower at Medlock Elementary.  Close to 70 neighbors attended.

It was probably inevitable that community frustrations at the school closing would surface during the meeting. Audience members obviously wanted to convey (1) great dissatisfaction with how our elected officials (specifically, DeKalb Co., and the DeKalb Co. School System Board) are failing to communicate with one another, and (2) that our community feels willfully ignored as far as being consulted or even informed of decisions that affect our neighborhood. The MANA zoning committee chair, Theresa Same, made this point clearly when she reminded Mr. McChesney that news of these cell tower proposals came to us “through the grapevine” and not directly, even though MANA has actively sought involvement since its inception, and most certainly as soon as Medlock Elementary closing rumos surfaced. For example, MANA has spent the last several months fruitlessly trying to extract land use guidelines from the School Board, to better evaluate potential use for the property (as we have been asked to do) and solicit proposals that would avoid an abandoned building scenario.

Audience members clarified there is no specific animosity towards T-Mobile (or any other cell phone provider for that matter). There is, however, great confusion about the timing of this proposal’s announcement and consideration. To wit: the school board will not unveil its 10-year plan until August. There are rumors of an ATT and T-Mobile merger, which could negate a need for T-Mobile towers in this area. And, as stated by a T-Mobile representative, the DeKalb Co. School system is the only system in DeKalb Co. that will consider placing cell phone towers in its land (question marks and exclamation points bloomed above audience member heads at that statement…).  With so many variables in flux, the only reasonable answer our community can issue to this proposal is a resounding NO.

There were many highlights to the meeting, not the least being the obvious community pride and refusal to accept the format the County attempted to impose. As the meeting began, we were informed that we should spend 20 minutes reviewing the information stations in the back of the room. When the MANA audience refused, we were told this was not a democracy (let’s say that did not go over too well). Audience members asked for a compromise of taking 5 minutes to view the displays (since most had viewed them before the meeting began), and requested to have the T-Mobile reps come to the front of the room to either present information or answer questions.  

T-Mobile reps; Medlock Mustang wants answers.

Now, with an audience-driven format, the questions poured forth.

No, the speakers could not comment on what kind of revenue the DeKalb Co. School System would derive from the placement of these cell towers at any of the 12 schools being considered. This is all in the negotiation phase. [N.B. On May 10, the AJC ran an article reporting that:

In Cobb County, more than 20 schools have towers, with each bringing in $150,000 every five years. Sixty percent goes to the school and the remainder going into a fund for schools without towers. The contracts are 15-year deals. But the school board in February voted to table indefinitely the construction of a T-Mobile cell tower at Compton Elementary after opposition from nearby homeowners.

T-Mobile has presented DeKalb with several different lease options, which, over time, could generate from about $450,000 to $1 million per site, depending on the length and structure of the contract. The school's Parent Teacher Association could get a one-time payment of $25,000. 

The district has not decided how the money would be used or distributed. The board has not scheduled a date to vote on the proposal. ]

The T-Mobile group appeared unaware that the school system closed Medlock Elementary… another example of questionable communication. Groans ensued when they informed us that the proposed tower would prominently feature the school mascot (a mustang… now sent to the glue factory). No answer was forthcoming as to how cell tower revenue would benefit our community, other than to improve T-Mobile’s ability to better serve its customers and generate income for the land owner. We were informed that the tower would be compatible with other carriers, and that contracts dictate that these structures be taken down should they cease to be operational. Mock-up photos show that the top of the tower (and its ghostly horse) would be clearly visible from any vintage point around the school (Gaylemont Circle and Wood Trail Lane).

This is what the proposed tower would look from Medlock Park, pool side. Additional mock-ups of the tower's visual impact appear at the end of this post.

Mr. McChesney injected a thread of intrigue by noting that Medlock “could” be the site of one of the 900-student schools that the county envisions. This statement was immediately challenged with the request that we table the discussion about cell towers until the school system unveils its Plan.

T-Mobile reps reassured us about the safety of the tower’s output, stating that the strength of output is weaker than common in-house sources such as routers and baby monitors. They referred the audience to their website for reports that vouch that no deleterious short-term effects are documented.

A bit of comic relief (for the audience, anyway) ensued when a T-Mobile representative, fiddling with the microphone, asked “Can you hear me now?”

An audience member asked whether T-Mobile would need to file for a zoning variance; apparently no, as government-owned land is exempt from land use restrictions.

Per our presenters, the County was approached with “multiple” requests for additional cell tower installations about a year ago. T-Mobile was the first to come through with a comprehensive proposal, about 8 weeks ago.

There were many questions about why T-Mobile would consider schools as cell tower sites. They explained that they study the area, first attempting to co-locate with existing towers and that building new towers (a quarter-million dollar endeavor) is a “last-ditch effort.” Audience members asked about using other spaces (non-residential) for said towers. The Zoning Chair offered to talk to T-Mobile about nearby commercial property that is currently underused or empty, and T-Mobile seemed receptive to exploring this angle. Following the meeting, Ms. Same and a T-Mobile rep reviewed the map and it appears that given the area's topography, multiple towers would be necessary to achieve the coverage that the school grounds tower would offer (due to the advantage provided by elevation).

T-Mobile repeatedly stated that they do not wish to come into a space where they are not wanted, and that the audience should voice any concerns through their potential business partner, namely, the DeKalb County School System.

To this end, if you wish to convey your thoughts and concerns about the T-Mobile tower situation, or about other issues relating to the Medlock Elementary school closing and its current status, visit the Board of Education's website (http://www.dekalb.k12.ga.us/board-of-education). Perhaps a place to start is to note that, although the Board states its desire “to form a collaborative effort between school and home,” they should consider adding a 5th goal: that the Board (a) recognizes the pivotal bond that exists between a public school and the residential community within which it exists, and (b) seeks to cultivate transparent communication with all its stakeholders.  

Board Member	Title/District	Phone	Email
Thomas E. Bowen	Chair; District 6	404.392.1621	thomas_bowen@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
H. Paul Womack Jr	Vice Chair; District 4	404.680.8790	H_Paul_Womack@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
Sarah Copelin-Wood	Board Member	404.371.1490	sarah_copelin-wood@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
Jesse Jay Cunningham Jr.	Board Member; District 5	404.392.3091	jay_cunningham@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
Donna G Edler	Board Member	404.394.1238	donna_edler@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
Nancy T. Jester	Board Member; District 1	404.394.8750	nancy_jester@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
Donald E. McChesney	Board Member; District 2	404.664.2458	don_mcchesney@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
Pamela A. Speaks	Board Member; District 8	404.931.7971	pam_speaks@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
Eugene P. Walker	Board Member	404.593.5095	eugene_p_walker@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

Mr. Donahue (L) and Mr. McChesney (R) (in suit jackets) answer questions after the meeting 

T-Mobile display. 

Proposed tower specifications. It would be 150 feet high.

This illustration shows the corner of the school lot where the tower would be located (around 9 o'clock in this drawing). The space being leased involves a 60' x 60' footprint.

Mockup of what the base of the tower would look like at ground level.

View of Tower and its Ghostly Mustang, seen from the front of the school.

The arrow marks the tower's proposed location. 

Tower's potential visual impact as seen from Gaylemont Circle.

MAY 11: Cell Phone Tower meeting today

As noted in our most recent e-mail to the MANA community, one of a series of meetings is being hosted at Medlock Elementary to discuss T-Mobile's desire to erect new cell phone towers in our area.

The following two articles discuss a similar situation, still ongoing, in East Atlanta.

- Public Broadcasting Atlanta report (June 7, 2010): East Atlanta Cell Phone Tower Battle

- Creative Loafing (April 16, 2010): Residents fight cell phone tower in East Atlanta ... again

The Patch has an item discussing cell tower plans for our area (May 4, 2011): T-Moblie Proposes Tower at Lakeside High.

ADDENDUM:

A search for Medlock Elementary's street adderss via the antennasearch.com website (which lists "towers and antennas used for cellular, microwave, paging, and other commercial purposes") shows existing cell towers, antennas, and applied-for permits for structures ~ 4 miles around Medlock Elementary. The lists and map available through the above link are clickable and you can explore additional information about each installation (location, owner).

Per antennasearch.com, in the screenshot below, Medlock Elementary is at the center of the image. The closest registered tower (blue) is at 3391 NORTH DRUID HILLS ROAD; two future towers (red) are proposed for 3145 BRIARCLIFF RD (T-Mobile) and WEST EXCHANGE PLACE LaVista (Dekalb Co. Police). In reference to The Patch article linked earlier in this post, Lakeside High's street address is 3801 BRIARCLIFF RD. NE; this is approx. 1.5 miles away from the proposed tower at 3145 Briarcliff Rd.