Church to reconsider radio tower
In the wake of resident protests of its planned 100-foot radio tower, church officials will bring the matter back to its board for reconsideration.
The Seventh Day Adventist Church held a public meeting at its 1813 El Dorado Parkway location to garner input from the community and heard nothing but complaints from neighbors in attendance.
By the end of the meeting, church founder and pastor Roger Lucas was more than swayed to recommend in this Sunday’s Board Meeting at 6 p.m. for the church to pull the application and not pursue building the radio tower.
“I received many emails and responded to them and also took phone calls about (the project),” Lucas said. “I knew there was a strong feeling out there. We had very innocently and in good will moved on with the project and followed the protocol which was given to us. But evidently, if this was going to turn into a maelstrom and there were not any positive benefits resulting from it, what’s the point?”
Cape Coral Councilmember John Carioscia was also in attendance and made a clear statement that he was not in favor of the project and also will potentially pursue amending zoning regualtions that allow such structures as a permitted use on church properties so something like this will not occur again.
“I implore you (Pastor Lucas) to withdraw this application,” Carioscia said during the question-answer session to a strong round of applause.
The concerns about presence of a 100-foot, 100-watt radio were threefold: health, financial and aesthetic downgrades.
Several of the residents during the meeting said property values in the vicinity of the radio tower could drop as much as 21 percent, with questions being thrown out to Lucas if the church had a plan to reimburse those affected.
Health concerns were another big reason for the opposition.
Some residents responded with health reports of the dangers of electronic magnetic fields (EMF) which are emitted from radio/cell towers.
The third concern brought up was the aesthetically unpleasing look of a 100-foot tower in a residential neighborhood.
“I walk this road every morning and I don’t want to look up and see this big ugly tower,” said one resident at the meeting.
The purpose of the radio tower, according to Lucas, was to broadcast on a low-power FM station and broadcast an educational, spiritual message and provide community awareness and support other community activities. The application was sent into the FCC in 2013, with only one non-profit application approved in the area every 10 years.
It is a two-year process to approve an application, and the Seventh Day Adventist Church’s was approved in 2015.
“We had no idea if ours was going to succeed or not,” Lucas said. “In 2015 we found out our application was approved. We didn’t speak about it, because we didn’t have anything to say. We knew it was a possibility, but we didn’t know, so it was something we put in our back pocket and see what would happen in the future.
“We utilized professionals and a public consultant from the city and we wanted to make sure to follow protocol and do it right. At that point and time, it was looked upon what types of poles were to be used.”
It was decided to use a 100-foot monopole, which was the best to be used as far as aesthetic impact.
But anger did rise from neighborhood residents when they found out the radio tower was permitted by the city.
According to city officials, a tower is a permitted use at the location, so no public notice was required. The permit application was submitted July 1 and approved July 13. The site permit was issued Aug. 24 and a site Development Review was completed Sept. 28.
“At no point in the process we were advised to have a public hearing, not that we were against it,” Lucas added. “This was not going to be connected to a cellphone tower, we thought about it, but decided that’s not what we wanted to do. We are not looking to sell cell space, or anything of that nature.”
Bill Dixon of the Cape Coral City Building Department, said the church’s application was acceptable in that area’s zoning requirements.
“The max height for a radio tower is 100 feet and allowed only one transmitter,” Peterson said.
But after an hour, Carioscia asked Lucas if the church would pull the application.
“We certainly never intended to create a storm like it happened here,” Lucas said. “We never intended to create this situation and we were only following a path and a process, but it looks like it’s coming back to us. We didn’t think one pole was going to make a difference. I am required to let people know about this decision here today (to the board meeting Sunday).
“The most I can do here today, I can take the will of this body with me (to the board) and make a recommendation we not go forward with the project.”
Lucas added he will notify people of the final decision of the board Sunday after the meeting and will get the word out to the people.
“I think the right thing, hopefully, will be done at 6 p.m. this Sunday and (Pastor Lucas) will notify me and I will start letting everyone know exactly where we are,” Carioscia said. “I will also be getting with our Building Department faculty and prevent this from happening again.”
Although there was some concern the Church Board will continue with the project after Sunday’s meeting, the feeling was positive Thursday.
“It was obvious the neighborhood was hostile about the (church’s) plans,” said neighborhood resident Bob Richards. “The (church) was very apologetic and they missed a step a year or so ago and should have come around the neighborhood or held a meeting like this.
“But it sounds to me, they received the message.”