By Amy Bentley-Smith

For some residents, the reception toward cellular antennae at Bay Shore Community Congregational Church remains weak.

Monday night, church officials hosted an informational open house regarding plans to have Cingular Wireless install antennae in the church’s bell tower to increase its coverage in Long Beach. Not everyone who attended left convinced that the church should become a cell phone beacon.

Congregant Doug Otto, a local attorney who answered questions on the church’s behalf at the open house, said Tuesday that church members would be meeting soon to make a final decision on the matter. If the church decides to move ahead with this plan and seek city approval, residents will fight it at every step, from the Planning Commission to the City Council, resident Elizabeth Borsting responded.

At issue for Borsting and a group of residents and parents of Lowell Elementary School students is the health risks associated with the level of radio-frequency radiation transmitted by cellular antennae. They point to concerns expressed by the American Cancer Society and policies opposing cell tower placements on their property by such entities as the Los Angeles Unified School District and the International Association of Fire Fighters.

A representative from the Long Beach Unified School District came to the meeting and said the district was investigating whether to establish a similar policy. Currently the district does not have a formal policy but does not take requests to place cell towers at its schools.

The scientific community is somewhat split on the health risks, with some saying cell phone use is too new to have conducted long-term effects studies. Others claim the level levels are low and exposure limited so as to not pose a major threat.

Jerrold Bushberg Ph.D., a health and medical physics consultant hired by the church and Cingular to review the proposal and give his opinion, attended Monday’s open house. He admitted that there is no conclusive evidence that proves RF emissions from cell phone antennae are not harmful; however, he reiterated the belief that the levels are low enough to be negligible. In his report, Bushberg points out that the proposal is well within governmental safety standards.

Also at the open house — a format Borsting said did not allow for a true discussion of the issues — was Lemuel Hawkins from the city’s Planning and Building Department and Kendrick Ayres, who does site acquisition for Cingular but does not work for the company.

Hawkins answered questions about the city approval process and general questions about cell towers in the city. He said that the city’s hands were tied when it came to approving locations. Denial cannot be based on health concerns, only on aesthetics.

This particular proposal had gone through a few revisions for aesthetic reasons, he added. Initially Cingular wanted to extend the height of the tower but that was rejected. What resulted was the plan to remove sections of the tower and replace them with identical panels that would allow for clear transmission. The look of the tower would not change.

Lemuel also said there were hundreds of cell antennae around the city, everywhere from city parks to commercial buildings. A number of antennae are currently on buildings along Second Street, less than a quarter mile from the church.

Borsting said she disliked that there were cell phone transmitters on Second Street but that “I realized it’s a commercial area.” Her main problem with the church proposal was that the antennae would be “embedded in a residential neighborhood.”

A number of people questioned why Cingular couldn’t just add more antennae to Second Street.

They also expressed frustration that no one from Cingular was at the meeting to answer their questions.

Art Navarro, director of public relations for Cingular Wireless’ western region, said location is key, even if it’s only less than a quarter-mile difference. He said that according to company research, the church bell tower was the best site to provide the type of service Cingular customers expect.

“If we moved to Second Street, the area north of the church would not have sufficient coverage,” he said.