Cell Phone Tower Protest Signs Cause Trouble in Springfield Neighborhood

 One West Springfield neighborhood has broken out into accusations and anger in recent months over signs put up in protest of two proposed cell towers in the area.

The red signs, saying, “Stop the Orange Hunt Estates Cell Phone Towers,” were first put up in the Orange Hunt Estates Area in late January.

The signs protest proposed cell phone towers at Orange Hunt Swim Club and Cottontail Swim Club. Residents in the area first heard about the potential towers in May 2010, when the Orange Hunt Swim Club held a general membership meeting where the issue was discussed as a possible way to bring in extra funds.

Application Delayed, Signs Remain

Even though the cell phone tower application processes have been deferred, county officials say, the signs remain in place.

“Who is seeing them?” neighbor Diane Miller wrote in an email to neighbors that she provided to Patch. “We, your neighbors and friends, have driven past them for more than a month.  The cell tower CEOs aren’t driving past them. The politicians aren’t going to change their vote because our tiny corner is awash in angry red signs…. Nothing will change if you remove the angry red signs and let our neighborhood be peaceful again.”

The signs were paid for through contributions from neighbors, particularly those involved in Orange Hunt A.C.T.I.O.N. (Against Cell Towers In Our Neighborhood).

“Each of the homeowners displaying a sign has requested them and feels that the signs are a showing of solidarity that the cell tower issue impacts everyone in the community regardless of where they live,” said a letter from Jayne Cantor and Mark Sieracki, the leaders of Orange Hunt A.C.T.I.O.N. in response to several questions. “The signs represent neighbors caring about neighbor.”

Resident Lisa Pasierb has found herself in a difficult position. Her husband passed away suddenly in January and in order to take care of her two children, she has had to put her house up on the market. Pasierb is concerned that the signs will keep her from selling her house.

“At every house for a block and a half there are three signs in each yard,” Pasierb said. “If you come over to where my house is, all you see are red cell phone signs. It really takes away from the neighborhood.”

Pasierb said that visitors to the neighborhood have commented on the signs to her before.

“A plumber said to me, ‘What are those really intrusive signs on your neighborhood? They’re really unattractive,’” Pasierb said.

Pasierb did say that neighbors on the cul-de-sac where she herself lives decided to take them down.

“They were responsible and took them down,” Pasierb said. “They decided, okay, fine—if this is upsetting our neighborhood and causing friction in our neighborhood...—and it just looks so much nicer.”

Cantor and Sieracki claim the signs have not affected people selling their houses

“Homes that are currently for sale in the neighborhood, within full view of the signs, have sold very quickly,” Sieracki and Cantor said. “... As for those who are complaining that the signs will affect home sales, these neighbors want a pristine environment for one neighbor to sell her home. They want to sweep the cell tower issue under the rug, so to speak, and make it not exist. They are forgetting that a potential buyer who is considering a purchase in the neighborhood has the right to know that a cell tower may be constructed close to their home.”

Realtor Yvonne Collins of Long and Foster Real Estate in Springfield said the impact of a sign campaign in a neighborhood can be mixed.

"Seeing campaigns of any kind drawing attention to possibly negative [issues]...I don’t think that it is good for a neighborhood," Collins said. "It raises questions."

Collins said however that it was unlikely someone would decide not to buy a house because of the signs.

"Some would say, 'Why shouldn’t we have cell phone towers?" Collins said. "...Others would say, from an aesthetic point of view, 'I don’t want to see these things in the neighborhood.' It really comes down to personal opinion."

Application Deferral

Orange Hunt A.C.T.I.O.N. has passed out numerous fliers, contacted elected officials, and shown up at many meetings. As of now, the planning commission hearing for both towers has been indefinitely deferred, according to Springfield Supervisor Pat Herrity.

“The person that was applying for the Orange Hunt cell phone tower has deferred it indefinitely, which means we have no idea when he’s going to bring it back [or] if he’s going to bring it back,” Herrity said.

Cantor expressed displeasure with the deferrals.

“We’re not happy with that because that means things can be activated at any time and brought back up,” Cantor said. “It’s not over—it’s just postponed.”

Herrity said there was nothing more he could do on the issue.

“The applicant’s withdrawn the application—we can’t decide on an issue that’s not in front of us,” Herrity said.

The protesters at the head of the fight against the cell phone towers say that there were no problems reported with the signs until a few neighbors started to vandalize them, pulling them out of the ground, kicking them, and stealing them.

“These neighbors don’t care about the cell tower or its effect on the neighborhood,” a letter from Cantor and Sieracki said. “They are only determined to remove the signs and still continue to do this.”

Some say that the signs are against the OHECA covenants.

 “The Orange Hunt Estates Covenants (available on our website oheca.net) mention the guidelines for signs in the neighborhood.,” President Patty Kimmel said in an e-mail response to Burke Patch. “Our community has been reminded about the Covenants that were filed with Fairfax County July 25, 1969.”

The covenants (number 5 and 6 under the covenants listed on this website http://www.oheca.net/bylaws.php) state that no signs of any kind or character are allowed except for signs stating properties for sale or to rent and small signs stating the name and profession of the occupant.

Cantor and Sieracki countered with the fact that the membership in the OHECA organization is voluntary. A copy of the bylaws and covenants are given in the form of a directory to those that pay the membership dues.

“ Many neighbors never join and don’t have any idea [the covenants] exist,” Sieracki and Cantor said. “… Every sign that is visible throughout the community today, including real estate signs, signs advertising the pools, construction company signs, etc., are all in violation of this covenant…. These covenants are 45 years old, have not been enforced and have never been updated.”

Sieracki and Cantor said that the covenants have become a convenient tool in attempt to intimidate neighbors. They also alleged that unsigned letters were placed in the mailboxes of residents attempting to intimidate many into removing the signs. Additionally, they said that letters that were allegedly signed by Kimmel were placed in mailboxes in the Cottontail Pool. Kimmel herself said that she did not take this action.

“I did not place or authorize placement of any notifications in mailboxes,” Kimmel said.

“Keep in mind too that placing any non USPS mailed letters etc. in mailboxes without postage is a felony,” Sieracki and Cantor said. “Impersonating another person and trespassing on people’s property with their permission is also a crime.”

Mark and Jayne also say that there was one incident of signs in the Cottontail Pool area being stolen.

Pool Members Divided

Cantor and Sieracki started taking action once the news came out. Sieracki gave up his pool membership in protest over the cell phone tower; if the Orange Hunt tower were built, he would be able to see the proposed cell tower at Orange Hunt Pool from his kitchen table and his bedroom.

“Were it not for Jayne and I bringing this to the neighborhood, they very well could have had this approved already and construction started,” Sieracki said. "It’s a very low level of the community. [If the cell towers were built], there are people on one street that have many houses that are going to have to look at this."

Cantor began to look into the proposed tower in-depth and discovered the proposed tower at Cottontail Swim Club as well. She alerted members of that pool to the tower, of which they claimed no previous knowledge.

"T-mobile already has a tower half a mile away or less," Sieracki said. "Why do they need another one? What is the purpose? It gives the impression that the purpose is unnecessary proliferation for their own monetary benefit."

Orange Hunt Swim Club board member Nora Harsha said that volunteers basically run the pool, with members dues covering the overhead needed to run.

“Not knowing when we’d have to resurface the pool or the cement that surrounds the pool when we need to replace a pump, I felt that the cell tower that would bring us revenue we could count on and still keep the dues down,” Harsha said, stressing that she spoke for herself and not the other board members. “That’s the reason that I went ahead and said yes. I also knew that us saying yes meant we’ll go forward with the process. It meant: let it go to the hearings and let the community decide if we’re going to get the cell tower or not.”

An Ongoing Issue

 Residents on both sides are frustrated with the current state of things.

 “I respect all our rights to speak out, vote, complain, and so forth,” Miller said. “But I just wonder if littering our neighborhood with angry red stop signs is doing any good?  Who is bothered? Who is targeted? Why is the discussion now about red signs instead of the cell tower? “

In the meantime, the issue seems to be ongoing.

“It’s unfortunate that this issue is going to continue to cause turmoil in the great community of Orange Hunt,” Herrity said. “Without any resolution in sight—there is the issue of the cell tower and then the issue of the way neighbors have been treating neighbors. I’ve heard all kinds of stories from both sides. It’s a great community—it needs to come together and not be ripped apart.

Despite their differences of opinion, both sides agree on one thing—the situation is not good for anyone.

“Things are not good in my neighborhood,” Cantor said. “Signs are being stolen and tempers are flaring—it’s just not a good place right now. It’s kind-of sad."