Phone tower causes a stir

The tower will be a potential danger to the church’s children, a pastor said.

FAIRLAWN, Ohio (AP) — Two churches are feuding over T-Mobile’s plan to erect a cell phone tower in the neighborhood.

Faith Lutheran Church in suburban Akron stands to gain at least $15,000 a year for having the 140-foot tower on its property, said T-Mobile representative John Sindyla. The amount could reach $30,000 a year if other providers rent space on it, he said.

St. Hilary Catholic Church, which has an adjacent school and church, doesn’t want the structure in the neighborhood, saying it will be an eyesore and a potential danger to the children who use the nearby soccer fields.

“Our concern is the cell tower and enclosure will be a great temptation for the 690 children of our school and hundreds of children who use the soccer fields during warm weather,” said the Rev. Steve Brunovsky, pastor of St. Hilary, which has 1,500 members. “I envision many balls and objects ending up inside the enclosure and children and teens attempting to climb the fence to retrieve them.”

Faith Lutheran has 250 members. The church’s council, made up of 12 elected lay people and the pastor, plan to sign a lease at the end of the month. The cell tower proposal would then go to the city of Fairlawn for consideration.

The church’s pastor, the Rev. Jean Hansen, said the tower would be 10 feet away from the soccer field and located in a triangular area of undeveloped property in Faith Lutheran’s backyard, but on St. Hilary’s property line where the parish’s parking lot and soccer field meet.

“We have the most to lose,” Brunovsky said. “The members of Faith Lutheran attend services once a week and they are gone. We have children in school here all day as well as our offices.”

He said he feels the tower will become the dominant visual feature of the two properties and take away the aesthetic value of the property and protrude above the trees.

“I guess their financial concerns outweigh the concerns of their neighbors,” Brunovsky said. “We have always had a good relationship with the church, but it’s disappointing that they asked for our input, but have ignored our concerns. This certainly puts a strain on our relationship.”