We are writing about a decision that the Mercer Island City Council has made to contract with Crown/T Mobile to install 38 additional cell phone towers in our residential ar eas. One of these 39 foot towers is scheduled to be installed in the median strip of our Greenbrier Lane neighborhood, and we have appealed that decision.

Though the city will not allow health reasons to be mentioned on the appeal, there are a growing number of studies that suggest the possibility of health concerns related to the radiation. There is most definitely concern for any workers on the tower, as warning signs will be posted on the tower to give them a heads up.

We were also told that our houses on Greenbrier would be reassessed by King County, and that our property taxes might go down after installation. Though this might seem like good news, the reason for the tax decrease according to the King County assessor’s office is that property values would likely decrease between 10-50 percent because of the presence of the tower.

For 40 years, the residents of our Greenbrier community have all paid to plant those beautiful dogwood trees and maintain the landscaping of the median strip. The city of Mercer Island has never been willing to pay for maintenance. We do not believe we should also pay the price of possible health concerns, decreased property values and worries about an unsightly tower looming over our block.

Hopefully all Mercer Island residents understand the impact these cell towers will have on their property and their lives.

Sheri Edwards

On behalf of Greenbrier Lane residents Mercer Island