Members of the West Vancouver Baptist Church are applying the “love thy neighbour as thyself” message in rejecting a proposal from Telus for a cellphone tower in the church’s parking lot.
Once word of Telus’ proposal to erect a 14.9-metre tower spread to neighbours of the church on Mathers Avenue just above Highway 1, some of them voiced their opposition.
Chief among the neighbours’ concerns are the potential health impacts of electromagnetic frequency that comes from cellphone towers.
In an effort to appease their neighbours, the church put the tower proposal to a vote. Close to 100 members of the congregation cast their ballots in a split decision in late March. Under the church’s bylaws, approval for the cell tower project would have required 75 per cent majority support.
Church spokesperson Dianne Grover said it’s disappointing that a decision to reject the proposal was made before all the cell tower facts were presented. “There is a lot of information out there that we could have provided,” said Grover. “What we would have provided is a 50-foot pole in an inconspicuous place that may have been seen by one or two houses. We just didn’t want to get into a huge controversy as a church — that’s not what we do.”
While Grover declined to share the financial terms of the Telus proposal to lease a portion of the church’s parking lot, she made it clear that it was a lucrative offer.
The income from Telus would have funded much-needed repairs for the 45-year-old church campus, which is facing some costly capital projects including the replacement of the roof and parking lot.
“Telus could have covered our capital expenditures over the next 10 years,” said Grover. “It (the proposal) was quite desirable from a financial point of view.”
But the proposal was more than just about the money for the church, which is situated in a spotty cellphone reception area, according to Grover.
“Actually, I live in the British Properties, and the whole area has terrible cell reception. There are complete drop-out zones in the area,” said Grover, who dropped Telus as her cellphone provider for this reason.
Grover also pointed out the importance of having reliable cell service in an emergency situation.
“Frankly, I think a cellphone tower along that line is inevitable; it’s just going to be a matter of time,” said Grover. “West Van is behind in the number of cell towers we have allowed here. They are everywhere except here.”
Telus spokesperson Liz Sauvé told the News the company will continue to explore options for building a new wireless tower in the British Properties, to meet the demand of its customers living in the area.
“We’re committed to addressing this growing demand for wireless service, and have met with the District of West Vancouver staff to discuss various options,” said Sauvé in an email. “Telus is in discussion with a number of property owners including the West Vancouver Baptist Church, and we’ll continue to look to secure property in order to meet this growing demand from our customers.”
Sauvé would not say if Telus was looking at refining its proposal for the church site. Earlier this year, the company said once it narrows down its preferred cell tower site options, there will be public consultation.
Plans for any tower more than 15 metres tall would still have to go through a public process with the District of West Vancouver.
