ORANGE HUNT SWIM AND TENNIS CLUB

Letter from a Local Home Owner<!--[endif]-->

Dear A.C.T.I.O.N.

I received your flyer about your concerns over the cell tower being placed near the tennis courts at the Orange Hunt pool.  I have read your concerns and also attended the meeting held at the Government Center in order to better understand the type of structure that would be built so I had a feel for how your views might be effected.  I must say, I am stunned by the vigor of your opposition. 

I grew up in Orange Hunt and as a child used the pool everyday throughout the summer.  Our children also used the pool daily when we moved back into the neighborhood.  If you have children, I imagine the pool has been an important part of their experience of living in Orange Hunt as well.  Even as empty nesters we have maintained our pool membership because we believe that a community pool is a wonderful benefit to the neighborhood and its children.  Our fees are an investment in our neighborhood. 

The Washington Post ran an article last year about the struggles community pools are facing.  Many in our area have closed. Others have made similar agreements to have cell towers on their land in order to help defray the costs associated with keeping their pools open.

 I believe the character of our neighborhood and its property values would be more adversely effected by not having a pool than by having a cell tower tucked in the parking lot.  Perhaps you no longer have children at home who use the pool so whether or not it remains open is of no concern to you.  (That is part of the problem our pool faces – older owners who give up their pool memberships.)  I don’t have children at home either.  But when I watch our neighborhood children walk to the pool with their towels slung over their backs, I think of how they will be effected should the pool close. 

I also believe that having a vibrant pool in Orange Hunt helps our property values.  You seem to be most concerned that your property values will decline because of the cell tower.  I don’t think that will be a problem and would be surprised if when you go to sell your homes, you do not list the close proximity to the neighborhood pool as one of the outstanding features of your properties.  It is an outstanding feature!  But not if there is no pool to walk to. 

I don’t anticipate that I can change your minds.  However I do hope that you understand that those who are not opposed to the cell tower have reasons that go beyond their own private interests too.  After seeing the structure that is planned for our pool parking lot, I would not be the least concerned about it, even if I lived on one of the adjacent properties.  Aesthetically, I can’t imagine it will have much impact.  Again, that is precisely why I attended the meeting at the Government Center.  Before I made my decision, I wanted to see what I was asking the neighbors to bear.  There are things that adversely affect our property values in Orange Hunt.  This cell tower does not appear to be one of them. 

As for your concerns about potential health risks the tower may pose, well, I am as unsure about that as you are.  And it seems to me that is as secondary to your opposition as it would be to mine.

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely, A Neighbor