By Jean Jenks, Sedona Resident
(July 8, 2017)
According to “P & Z delays wireless vote” (Red Rock News, June 7, 2017), there was nearly an hour of discussion during the Commission’s Public Hearing on June 1. Additional comments and concerns from the public regarding the City’s Wireless Communications Plan update will not be allowed during the subsequent meeting (date TBD).
Apparently in danger of slipping beneath the radar is the fact that Consultant CityScape and the City Manager’s Office are recommending urban density cell tower coverage for Sedona vs rural density. The requirement of twice as many wireless infrastructure sites for urban density has greater negative impacts on public health, safety and welfare and fails to preserve the unique natural beauty of our very small City.
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine encourages avoidance of radio frequency such as from cell towers, etc., due to debilitating health effects associated with RF exposure. A 2013 study conducted in Belo Horizonte, Brazil’s third largest city, found that over 80 percent of people who succumbed to certain types of cancer resided a third of a mile away from cell towers (“New study: direct link to 4,924 cancer deaths from cellular antennas radiation”). And studies in Austria, Germany, and Israel likewise found living within a certain proximity of a cell tower increased the risk of cancer.
Consultant CityScape came up with 20 City-owned tower site locations. 8 cell towers with their large, noisy base stations are planned on City Property and 10 on private owned property. 22 towers already exist in or near the perimeter of the City. Woefully, many new towers and base stations will be located in residential areas. During the P & Z meeting nearly 20 members of the public expressed serious concerns about wireless tower antennae. A resident living within 300-feet of a proposed tower site stated she received a letter from Karen Osborn referring to her home’s proximity. Although the Federal Communications Act of 1996 preempts health concerns relating to RF radiation, if my understanding is correct, not excluded are safety, aesthetics and property value issues.
CityScape states Wireless Master Planning will create a new method for new community revenues. The average yearly cell phone tower lease rate payment in the U.S. in 2016 was $45,000+ according to Vertical Consultants. However, they indicate lease rates vary greatly and can be well over $45,000 per year.
8 Comments
Dear Jean,
Thanks for this excellent and helpful update. I think it is important we see and understand the bigger picture, in the context of which these local events are taking place. I have been an independent holistic health scientist for more than 50 years now, finding natural cures for incurable diseases, how to reverse what is called “aging,” and ways to maximize natural immunity without toxic drugs and potentially deadly vaccines. I was able to find these things and my research continues now 24/7. During the last 20 years of my work, I also did an in-depth investigation of the economic/political power structure that has been in control of America and most of the world. As a result, I know in considerable detail what they are doing to us now, what is planned for the years immediately ahead, and what their objective is. What we are witnessing in Sedona with the rollout of 5G, which may be much more intense than your report suggests, as most of the installations will be all over the public right of ways without consultation with the “city.” It is part of a much larger plan, detailed in part in Agenda 21/Agenda 2030, but going beyond even that deadly proposal. The city council members I talked to think this is all nonsense, that government guarantees all this is safe, and it’s a great technological advance and convenience. They have fallen for the programming they memorized that says the “prestigious” groups that are endorsing this as safe and wonderful are honest and working for the public good. They have no idea of the reality and would probably have a lot of trouble grasping that it could be true. They don’t want to know.
Microwave radiation is deadly dangerous to humans and most other life forms. Josh del Sol did a good job explaining some of the basics in his documentary “Take Back Your Power,” about smart meters. There is no doubt about the harm microwaves cause, in real science. The body’s intercellular and intracellular communication systems are interfered with by these open-air microwave transmissions. At the very top levels of power, this is understood and it is intentional, not some kind of scientific sloppiness or mistake. It is one of at least 20 major agendas underway as weaponized attacks against the people of the world, with the US especially targeted for strategic reasons. The idea is to make Americans sick and drug-dependent, with minds that cannot think clearly, so the rest of the agenda can be completed unopposed. There are some people not totally programmed, who will be able to imagine this could be true, and do the checking for themselves.
Most of the public is still emotionally unable to break their lifelong conditioning to trust authority figures, and realize that our extermination is their goal (not merely “population reduction,” as many who partially understand have claimed). The future depends on at least a small critical minority of us, not only able to grasp the situation but also the potential solutions, and then acting on them. The city council members apparently think that if some law is made requiring our suicide, we have to follow it. They don’t understand or remember that America was supposed to be based on the idea of individual freedom, with government as a servant in extremely limited capacity, with limited powers, subject to replacement if it starts to harm the people it is there to protect. There is no obligation in America to follow any law requiring us to subject ourselves to harmful radiation. Furthermore, the TCA leaves open many grounds on which to block hardware installation. The “representatives” of Sedona are not doing their jobs, and are not competent to be in office. Their attitude is that of slaves, there to dictate the fate of the residents and tell them to endure intentional harm, so some health-destroying industry can gain money and power. I don’t know what country that is supposed to represent, certainly not America.
What’s going to happen here will depend on whether the people of Sedona want to destroy themselves out of blind faith in authorities who say everything (except freedom) is safe, or out of fear of their city rulers, or whether they have any sense of self-respect left and will stand up to the criminals. Right now it looks like most are in the first category.
Richard Sacks, Host
Lost Arts Radio
http://www.lostartsradio.com
Independent holistic health scientist since 1965
Essene teacher and private health consultant
Oh Jean I am so surprised to see that you are no longer informed like you used to be. Not much of what you wrote about the city is factual at all. As someone who is gravely impacted by radio waves I have been following this issue and while it’s true that the city is finding sites where towers can be placed I strongly believe that they are acting on my behalf . Cell company’s like ATT or someone else can put up a tower any old place. Remember that the Feds have said that 5G can not be stopped by anyone for any reason Let’s not forget that our own AZ Governor is allowing 5G to placed any place throughout the State. FACT: THERE IS NOT ONE THING THAT ANYONE CAN DO TO STOP IT.
So you can spew the wrong info because you don’t like local government if you choose but you look very un-informed to me.
The video of the July 13, 2016 Joint City Council Meeting with P & Z makes public that the City is embracing urban density wireless technology for rural Sedona (twice as many towers required). Why are we no longer hearing about this?
Smaller wireless facilities than towers are available. A wireless mesh network as well as PWSFs are examples of smaller facilities. Who determines what we need in Sedona?
Is the City’s consultant reliable? CityScape claims 22 cell towers exist in or near the perimeter of the City. However, the FCC’s cell tower database lists 44 cell phone and antenna towers registered in Sedona, Arizona. Since not all towers must be registered, the FCC inventory for Sedona is low. See http://www.city-data.com/towers/cell-Sedona-Arizona.html
Yavapai County, under Section 605 (Wireless Communications Facilities) of its zoning ordinance for the unincorporated areas, states: “No new wireless communication facilities shall be installed within unique or scenic areas/sites.”
Towers are eyesores that hurt beauty and property values. Aesthetics and public safety are issues not preempted by law. A City ordinance is required for their consideration and review. Does the City have such an ordinance? NO!!
“This is all about money,” was one comment made to the P & Z Commissioners during the June 1 meeting. Does this appear to check out? CityScape states that “Wireless Master Planning will create a new method for new community revenues.” The City of Sedona has a budgeted negative cash flow of $9,989,641 for the current fiscal year. Estimated Revenues = $37,762,477 and Budgeted Expenditures = $47,752,118 according to the CITY OF SEDONA PUBLIC NOTICES published in the Red Rock News on May 24 and 31, 2017.
Jean conveniently forgot to mention that the difference between expenditures and income is from savings and special accounts money the city has been putting aside for years for special projects ,jeans keep it honest now
Budgeted negative cash flows have been approved by the City Council for the last several years, and now the City is looking for new sources of revenue. Jennifer Wesselhoff of the Chamber is a participant on Citizen Engagement’s Revenue Forecasts Work Group. According to the rumor mill, this work group is looking into additional excise tax bond debt. By the way, as a result of continuous poor budgeting practices, the City’s bond rating is just two grades above non-investment grade.
In the P & Z DELAYS WIRELESS VOTE article of June 7, 2017, the RRN reported “There will be no additional public comment” during the subsequent meeting. However, a major change, as well as the meeting date, came down the pike via a PUBLIC NOTICE on July 14.
P & Z will consider amendments and possible action regarding the Wireless Communication Facilities Ordinance and the draft Wireless Communications Master Plan at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 1, 2017. Public comments will be taken.
Rumor mill Jean you are the rumor mill.
Yes I’m certainly hoping the city is looking for other sources of revenue that’s their job they should be looking . I think we should be looking at 3 to 5% tax on all jeep excursions in four wheel vehicle trips that would be easy money we can use it to offset some of the paving of the damage done by off-road vehicles so there’s a start. We can always look at sales tax increase if that’s not enough .
Revenue bond debt is in Sedona’s future according to John Martinez.
Some consequences of the City’s failure to live within its means: a very high cost of living, local business closures, needless commercial vacancies, a dwindling and aging populace, environmental degradation, and quality of life issues.
I’m sorry this is glass half empty BS,SEDONA prime commercial propertys are almost fully leased.
Look at the 179 Corredor now new restaurants new remodels the buildings are all full. Home prices are back up to where they were close to 2008. Things could not be better,yes we’re going to need a revenue bond down the line and it’s not about living within our means, It’s about supporting the services that we need for a growing city. Sedona is not a retirement community,but a vibrant tourist town and needs to be run like one not like Sun City . When a community becomes too expensive to live in after retirement then it’s time to move,happens all the time people move from expensive cities to less expensive areas ,perhaps SEDONA is too expensive it’s time for you to move .