GILROY – On the surface, the issue of what to do with the
50-foot cell phone poles in front of Luigi Aprea school looks
resolved.
GILROY – On the surface, the issue of what to do with the 50-foot cell phone poles in front of Luigi Aprea school looks resolved.
Over the last several days, crews have removed the transmitter portion of the poles that were supposed to double as cellular antenna sites and flagpoles, painted those poles white and hoisted the American and California flags atop them. Today, crews continue to clean up and re-landscape the area impacted by a $900-a-month lease contract with Cingular Wireless that had gone afoul.
All of the work is being funded by the cellular phone service company.
Despite the apparent goodwill gesture, spokespersons for Cingular are not saying the matter is over.
“The poles, the paint, the flags, those were all part of the original contract. The issue of the lease has not been discussed yet with the school district,” said Cingular spokesperson Lauren Gardner, who declined to comment further when asked if that meant her company would pursue rental space elsewhere on district property.
Gilroy Unified School District’s facilities manager Charlie Van Meter said he has not been approached by the company to rent space elsewhere.
“I have not been approached by them,” Van Meter said.
At least one parent who led the effort to ban cellular antennas from the Luigi Aprea campus, Robyn Houts, does not want the matter to be over either. Houts and other parents and residents were told by the district that the cell phone poles would be removed entirely from the campus.
“I’m extremely disappointed with (Superintendent Edwin) Diaz,” Houts said. “We were told in writing the poles would be removed.”
The parents and residents did not want the cell phone antennas due to health and safety concerns over radio frequency emitted from the equipment.
