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Home My WebLink About09-16-2016 Written Communications -Cell Tower -HerrimanMr. Ivan Koon "The Concerned Parents of Saratoga" (Anti -Cell Antenna Group for Saratoga) 14157 Squirrel Hollow Lane Saratoga, CA 95070 Dear Ivan, I am writing to you because I agreed to do so. 9!93 V9 9AV I M M M M August 21, 2015 First, as I committed to do, I reviewed again the information of the proposed Verizon cell antenna at Saratoga Presbyterian Church. I want you to know up front that I am not authorized to make decisions related to the cell antenna, but I am simply stating my perspective as an employee and pastor, as someone who will be spending most of his waking hours on this site and working directly under the antenna. I am sharing this with you, hoping that your group, though some might disagree, can still respect my personal views. 1. 1 Am Personally Satisfied with the Objective Facts... ...after reviewing quantitative data presented from independent scientists of Hammett and Edison. This company is hired independently for neighborhood groups (like yours), cities, counties, states, and federal and foreign governments —they are not Verizon's company. Please look at their link below. If they were to skew the data, they would lose their license, their livelihood, and would be facing criminal charges. This is a legitimate, independent organization. Looking at Government collective data that's related to this antenna site, and an actual study by licensed scientists of this site, this antenna will only emit at its maximum /worst case level 5.7% of the applicable public exposure limit for both antennas. Most of the time, this antenna will be operating at an even lower threshold than this stated maximum rate. One of the points shared by the independent expert at the City Planning Commission meeting was that we receive more exposure by using our mobile phones. I am comfortable with these scientifically reported facts. 2. 1 Am Personally Honored That Our Church Will Be Able to Offer a Very Important Emergency Service in Our Community: For over 52 years Saratoga Presbyterian Church has been a vital part of this community in making a positive difference locally and internationally for people of all ages. I am glad that our legacy continues by providing, through this antenna, a very important emergency service to the community's first - responders in case of a catastrophe or a significant emergency. 1. This communication system will directly assist local, state, and federal emergency services providers, such as police, fire, paramedics and other first - responders. 2. Additionally, this emergency system will help to provide personal safety and security for community members in an emergency, or urgent situation to reach family members or friends and to hopefully provide reassurance during such potential difficulties, and 3. This system will enhance our community's 911 services. Over half of all 911 calls are made using mobile phones through triangulation. This antenna is essential in improving the accuracy of the location of a 911 caller when the call is received from a cell phone, and this means that first responders to a 911 call will get to the emergency more quickly as they have better and more accurate information on where the cellular call is originating. With antennas located in Saratoga, like this one on our campus housed in an aesthetically pleasing bell tower (circa classic Americana architecture), the location of a 911 cellular call is substantially improved when the triangulation method is used to locate a 911 caller. In a life and death situation or a severe medical emergency, a few minutes saved by EMS responders due to accurate location of the cellular caller can mean the difference between full recovery, permanent irreversible damage, or even death. This is a benefit to all residents in Saratoga and to our surrounding community. ANOTHER MEETING Second, you have asked for another meeting. I want to be honest with you. Your group's recent tactics of coming over to the church with 30 people, unannounced and unscheduled on Tuesday, August 18, 2015, at 9am was quite unnerving. I believe that, in your group's mind, you thought this was the only way to get our attention. However, in debriefing the incident with staff afterwards, I'm afraid this approach may not have achieved your desired result. Honestly, it did not engender a sense of congeniality, but rather, it felt confrontational and angry. For me to walk up to the front of the church office and see my wife (Pastor Ellen) at the door being confronted by a large group, some raising their voices, surrounding her (it was clear that several of the individuals were quite angry) and pressing into her personal space, was deeply unsettling. Your group's tactics, though perhaps not intentional, came across as aggressive; it seemed as though your intention was to intimidate us or to use force to get your way. Ellen even told your group that she felt uncomfortable by your aggressive approach, but no apology was offered. As desperate as you may have felt, I'm afraid this was not a positive approach. We have sought to positively engage our neighbors as we have been made aware of them. We held a meeting with a group of local residents in June (a meeting of over 2 hours); we attended the meeting of the Planning Commission (3+ hours); we have hosted an independent engineer for an open community meeting last February (2 hours); and multiple members of our staff have responded to emails and phone calls from a variety of people from your group (many hours); we also gave residents that we met with in June a tour of the facilities and installation sites. Until June no one at SPC was even aware of the existence of any concerned neighbors — yet a group apparently had been at least somewhat organized since before January. Since June, many of our staff have spoken with many of your folks, and when asked at the last minute for a meeting just days prior to the meeting of the Planning Commission, we flexed our schedule to accommodate this request. And we have done these things willingly and without rancor. It has dismayed us, however, to learn that some of the neighbors have circulated a petition in the neighborhood and on our campus to preschool parents with incorrect information about the 2 plan. My understanding from what I heard at the last City Planning Commission meeting is that, when asked by the Planning Commissioner, members of your group admitted, including one of the main leaders, that they had not even read the extensive report that is posted on the City Planning Commission's website that cites extensive data from the experts in this field. One additional point that you might want to be aware of: after our meeting in June, one of the residents in the area mentioned to me that when your group asked for a signature on the petition, they did not provide the aforementioned report, or data of any kind, but instead offered (what this resident perceived to be) a rather extremist, fear -based script. Ivan, I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, we respect and care about you and the residents of Saratoga. I hope that doesn't sound trite, because it is true. Saratoga Presbyterian Church has been serving residents of Saratoga, the needy in Santa Clara County, and people on nearly every continent for over 50 years and we hope to continue to be able to do that for at least another 50 years to come. We consider it a blessing to be on the corner of Herriman Avenue and Saratoga - Sunnyvale Road and our goal is to be able to share with others the love, hope and compassion that has transformed our own lives. At the end of the day, we want you to know that we have heard your group in a variety of ways (we have received the links, heard the opinions, read the petition, and understand the salient points), and we will add the input you have given us to our larger discernment process and conversations with the City. That is the best that I can promise you, but I do promise you that. I have heard repeatedly that members of your group want to keep meeting and keep attempting to sway our decision - making. At this point, I am afraid we are not able to devote any more time to additional meetings. I would like to ask that your group please now allow us to continue in our process peacefully. As you know, it is possible for people to mutually respect each other while sharing different viewpoints and opinions, and sometimes even making different decisions. I do hope that mutual respect would be able to continue between Saratoga Presbyterian and the concerned neighbors, regardless of the outcome of this issue. Please do share this desire with others in your group and, for the sake of consistency, please circulate this letter among the members of your group. Respectfully, Steve Dr. Steven Steele, Pastor Saratoga Presbyterian Church (ECO) 20455 Herriman Avenue Saratoga, CA 95070 Office (408) 867 -0144, ext. 401 saratogapres.org eco- pres.org "Inspiring all generations to make Jesus Christ central in every part of our lives" Here's a link to the City of Saratoga Planning Commission's Staff Report on the Verizon cell antenna: 3 http: // saratoga. granicuS .com /MetaViewer.php ?view_id =10 &clip id= 894 &meta_id =44694 Included in this document is information on project benefits, regulating agencies, environmental impact, alternative site analysis, and a statement by Hammett and Edison with the conclusion that "it is the professional opinion that operation of the base station proposed by Verizon Wireless at 20455 Herriman Avenue will comply with the prevailing standards for limiting public exposure to radio frequency energy and, therefore, will not for this reason cause a significant impact on the environment. The highest calculated level in publicly accessible areas is much less than the prevailing standards allow for exposures of unlimited duration." List of Hammett and Edison clients: http: //h -e.com /our - clients FCC's Guidelines: https: / /www.fcc.gov /guides/ human - exposure -rf- fields- guidelines- cellular- and -pcs -sites RF Exposure FQ's: http: / /h- e.com /fag cc City Council of Saratoga City Planning Commission of Saratoga c/o Crystal Dophelio, City Clerk Core Development Services c/o Chuck Saunders 4