Construction for a new 180-foot cell tower has been proposed near Carderock Springs Elementary School, and could be installed within the next two years. However, residents have raised concerns about having a tower that emits electromagnetic radiation so close to a school.

Approval is still eight months away for the cell tower proposal, and construction could begin as soon as December 2014. At an information meeting Sept. 17, Carderock residents debated the possible dangers of the tower, including harmful radioactive frequency emissions.

“A tower located close to the school definitely concerns some people,” Carderock parent John Carlson said. “The aesthetics of it and radiation could be viewed as a problem.”

Although State Highway Association officials listened to residents’ concerns, they will be working toward approval for the next eight months, according to SHA official John Nesbitt. Officials cited statistics and studies proving that cell towers don’t emit harmful radiation.

“The towers can’t be as hazardous as people are making them out to be,” Nesbitt said. “The same exposure to radiation comes from your cell phone or microwave.”

Citizens attending the meeting left with mixed opinions. The CSES PTA Board later voted unanimously to not take a position on the proposed cell tower, president Karen Roman said.

“I don’t think the tower will have any sort of effect on the kids’ health, so I don’t think that would be an issue,” Carderock parent Tracy Kinol said. “The uncertainty of the radiation could be a problem, but I’m not worried.”

About 900 Cabin John homes are without cell coverage, and the tower near Carderock will help eliminate this problem, Nesbitt said.

Cell towers on or near some schools are already located throughout Montgomery County. Sherwood, Albert Einstein and Springbrook are among the 12 county schools with towers on or near their property.

In 2010, poor cell coverage led T-Mobile to propose a cell tower on Whitman property, between the baseball field and tennis courts. However the proposal angered many local residents because of the proximity to the school and neighborhoods, prompting principal Alan Goodwin to end the proposed construction.

The area considered for the current project near Carderock is between I-495 and Persimmon Tree Lane, currently used only as a dumping ground. No trespassing signs have been placed around the area, while cement and debris are dumped into it, Nesbitt said.

“In the local community there’s another tower near 495 and Connecticut, and that’s been there since 1998,” Nesbitt said. “I’m sure the community had the same concerns about radioactive frequency emissions but there’s been no adverse feedback or complaints.”

The idea for the tower began in 2002, while design for the tower began in 2012. Upon approval, AT&T will be given a permit to construct the communications tower and Verizon a permit to co-locate and install their cell services on the tower.

The tower is called a monopole — a single steel rod about eight feet in diameter at the base and 180 feet tall. On top of that would be an eight-foot lightning rod, Nesbitt said. At the base of the tower would be a 50-foot compound, surrounded by an eight-foot-tall fence topped with barbed wire.

“It sounds like a good thing,” said sophomore Hannah Markowitz, a former Carderock student. “I don’t get a lot of service in my neighborhood, so it definitely could be beneficial.”