Milestone Master Lease Madness
Does Your Virginia School Board have a Milestone Master Lease Agreement to add cell towers to the schools in your county?
Many communities have policies, ordinances or zoning that ensures cellular antennas are restricted to a specific minimum distance from schools. Hempstead, NY requires a special use permit for cell towers near schools.1,500 feet away is what countries worldwide distance schools at the minimum from cell towers. Cell towers have been removed from school premises as well. Wi-Fi in Schools Worldwide showcases what Environmental Health Trust (EHT) researched in regard to worldwide school policies.
Milestone is the stie developer who doesn’t care that they’ll be causing harm if cell towers are located closer than the recommended 500 meter set back from residents, they are simply out to make money and they are going to add more cell towers whether they are needed or not!
This is the video from the town hall meeting with Milestone Master in 2021 so you can see it all for yourself for the Mickie Gordon Memorial Park Milestone Tower location.
At the 24 minute mark AT&T tries to explain why lowering the tower below a 120 feet height won’t work and about how this tower needs to be at least 150’ feet in height so no additional towers are needed to the west. But, then he proceeds to say AT&T’s overall coverage maps due West requires additional towers anyway. So which is it? Where is the area wide map showing all the towers that Milestone wants to build? Why can’t the number of rings permissible on this tower be limited to 2 rings to ensure a smaller tower? Why do there have to be 4 rings to close an alleged gap in coverage?
At the 34 minute mark, an adjacent land owner to the proposed tower site asks Milestone site developers about whether or not they actually looked at an alternate location for a newly installed monopole rather than doing just a co-location study with existing telecom facilities on a water tower and utility pole.The Milestone site development representative admits he didn’t “speculate or consider other locations” basically because they have a willing landowner, so they don’t have to look any further.
This is perhaps the most intrusive location to an adjacent farm with livestock that is proposed too close to the farm to ensure safety of the residents and the livestock. The alternate site location study, if it was conducted, should identify the least intrusive location.
There are no grounding schemes, no electrical specifications and no antenna types mentioned in the application while Milestone is asking the commission to approve it based on their promises rather than verifiable data in the record needed to make a factual determination. How can Loudoun County Planning Commission be expected to make a reasonable and informed decision now when promises are given to them in the application package rather than data and facts with records of those facts to back them up?
The ten School Boards with Milestone Master Lease Agreements as of August 25, 2021 include: Albemarle, Colonial Beach, Cumberland, Fairfax City and Fairfax County, Fauquier, Halifax, Loudon, Manassas Park City Schools, and Prince William.
If your school has a lease agreement with Milestone you should act quickly by signing up to become a Tech Safe School Advocate. They will send you a legal document, that way you can hold them accountable to their fiduciary duty to protect the children. This same letter can be given to your Board of Supervisors or City Council if they own the school property as they are liable as well.
These Four Counties with Milestone Master Lease Agreement as of August 25, 2021: Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William and Stafford County.
Cities (1) with Milestone Master Lease Agreement as of August 25, 2021: Manassas City
Electric, Water and Sewer Utilities have 6 with Milestone Master Lease Agreements as of August 25, 2021: Hampton Roads Sanitation District, Central Virginia Electric Cooperative, Northern Neck Electric Cooperative, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority , Southside Electric Cooperative. They may want to add towers to water towers, or on sewer utilities etc.
Is this happening in other states?
Yes sadly Milestone has Master Lease Agreements in DE, FL, MD, SC, VA, Wayne, PA & NY
I would recommend sharing this blog with others so they can look into what their states are allowing. We must protect the children from having cell towers on school property.
What can I do about it?
Support Loudon County this Tuesday as they encourage their Planning Commission Meeting to deny Milestone Master Lease Agreement and prevent them from putting a cell tower on Mickie Gordon Memorial Park.
Show up in person if you live in close proximity.
WHEN: Tuesday, July 26, 2022 @ 6 pm, estimated time to this subject 6:30 pm
WHERE: Board Room, Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, Leesburg, VA 20175
Write an email directly to the planning commission at loudounpc@loudoun.gov to speak on Tuesday, or submit an online form and add a comment if you can’t attend in person: under application you will speak about use: CMPT-2021-0014 for Milestone Towers Mickie Gordon Park
or call 703-777-0246, option 4, by 12:00 p.m., July 26, 2022