RAVINIA SEEKING TO INSTALL MAJOR CELL PHONE HUB

RAVINIA SEEKING TO INSTALL MAJOR CELL PHONE HUB
IN WEST RAVINIA PARK

Plan Commission Meeting at 6:30 Tuesday, April 28 at City Hall
THIS IS THE LAST HEARING ON THIS MATTER

As many of you may know by now, Ravinia Festival is seeking Highland Park Plan Commission consent to install a major Cell Phone Hub and a DAS (Distributed Antenna System – a series of smaller directional antennas) on its property. Apparently, the construction and all electrical equipment will paid by Crown Castle Communications, a $25 billion corporation specializing in Cell Phone Hub and Antenna/Mast construction projects. Ravinia wants to begin construction immediately in order to complete construction by June 2015.

The installation is proposed to include:

·         Construction of a 1500-square-foot (25’ by 62’) Cellular Hub Building in the West Park

·         An additional outdoor fenced structure to house a generator.

·         Six 5-ton air conditioners that will be running all day, every day throughout the year with their accompanying noise.

Many in the neighborhood feel that this is a hugely intrusive plan to fix a very minor problem: complaints by some Ravinia neighbors that they experience cell/data reception problems during large concerts in the Summer Season.

Some of the many questions being asked by neighbors include:

Public Health, Noise, Nuisance, and Property Value

·         What is the potential effect on health? How strong are the RF emissions?

·         What is the effect of the project on our property values, as well as livability and neighborhood ambiance?

·         Why is it necessary to run this equipment 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, for a possible problem that purported to occur on only the busiest nights of only the Summer Season?

·         What are the decibel estimates for the large AC system to be installed to the Cell Hub Building? What will the neighbors hear as constant noise, night and day, all year?

Justification and Due Diligence

·         What other areas were surveyed, and which were proposed?

·         Why was this site selected?

·         Should the city have surveyed the Ravinia Neighbors in order to assess the true extent of the purported problem?

·         Why were residents informed of the project via certified mail after the fact? Why was notification handled incorrectly in the first place?

·         How many complaints, and from what areas, were actually received by the City or the Council? Where are the complaints documented?

·         Is it necessary, advisable, and legal to construct a Major Cell Hub in what has been, for over 70 years, a natural park/meadow with no construction?

Livability, Access, and Enjoyment

·         How will the construction of the Cell Hub Building and DAS system limit our continued access to the West Park, one that has been responsibly enjoyed by the Ravinia neighbors for the 70 years of Ravinia Festival ownership?

·         Are there plans to fence the park?

·         Will the neighbors be denied their longstanding access to the park?

Legal and Financial

·         Is Ravinia Festival allowed to lease land to Crown Castle Communications and allow them to build the Cell Hub Building and peripherals? What are the terms of the lease? What does Ravinia Festival receive in return?

·         This appears to be a very large and costly project. What is the total cost for the complete Cell Hub Building and DAS?

·         Wo pays for the sizable monthly utilities and maintenance, and at what monthly cost

·         Why is the planned Cell Hub Building’s size the maximum allowable square footage under the Highland Park Zoning Ordinance, and yet the need in square footage to support the proposed DAS system appears to be so small, perhaps 90% less than the requested 1500 square feet?

·         How is all the additional square footage to be used and for what purpose? What are the future plans for this additional space if it is not used initially?

Discuss this issue with your neighbors and friends, and bring your concerns, views, and questions to the PLAN COMMISSION MEETING SCHEDULED APRIL 28, 2015, AT 6:30 PM IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER AT CITY HALL. We encourage as many neighbors and friends as possible to participate. THIS WILL BE THE ONLY HEARING ON THIS MATTER. Please attend, if only to listen and better understand the major impact on the neighborhood.

CONCERNED RAVINIA NEIGHBORS

As many of you may know by now, Ravinia Festival is seeking Highland Park Plan Commission consent to install a major Cell Phone Hub and a DAS (Distributed Antenna System – a series of smaller directional antennas) on its property. Apparently, the construction and all electrical equipment will paid by Crown Castle Communications, a $25 billion corporation specializing in Cell Phone Hub and Antenna/Mast construction projects. Ravinia wants to begin construction immediately in order to complete construction by June 2015.