Man to take out 2nd mortgage to battle proposed cell tower
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NEAR CLINTON, Wash. -- A proposed cell phone tower is drawing an unusual idea from those trying to block it: money, and lots of it
Clyde Monma wants to turn acres of his forested land into a park. But a proposed cell phone tower would loom over his house.
"These are the trees they're planning to take out for the tower itself and so the trucks can get in to build the tower," he said pointing to the trees near the proposed location.
The Port of South Whidbey owns much of the beachfront, and the land going up the hill links to more port-owned land where commissioners are considering letting AT&T build the cellphone tower.
The tower will stand 145 feet tall -- taller than the trees nearby. The port would earn $1,100 a month for a period between five years and 20 years.
Monma knows money talks. So he's considering making his own offer to the port to the tune of $250,000.
"We're going to get a second mortgage," he said. "And we're going to take money out of our retirement fund. But we believe it will all work out in the end, somehow."
Monma says his offer is good -- better, he says, than AT&T's. He is now just waiting for the port to bite.
"That amount of money (offered by AT&T) won't even add p to the $250,000 we're offering, so we're just puzzled by what they're trying to do," he said. "It's just really sad what they're doing, you know ... They're neighbors, too."
Hundreds have joined Monma's fight against the tower. They believe a park should not be sacrificed to marginally improve cell phone reception.
The port commissioners will likely meet in December to consider the offer. If they reject it, Monma vows to fight the cell tower as it seeks all its necessary permits.
Clyde Monma wants to turn acres of his forested land into a park. But a proposed cell phone tower would loom over his house.
"These are the trees they're planning to take out for the tower itself and so the trucks can get in to build the tower," he said pointing to the trees near the proposed location.
The Port of South Whidbey owns much of the beachfront, and the land going up the hill links to more port-owned land where commissioners are considering letting AT&T build the cellphone tower.
The tower will stand 145 feet tall -- taller than the trees nearby. The port would earn $1,100 a month for a period between five years and 20 years.
Monma knows money talks. So he's considering making his own offer to the port to the tune of $250,000.
"We're going to get a second mortgage," he said. "And we're going to take money out of our retirement fund. But we believe it will all work out in the end, somehow."
Monma says his offer is good -- better, he says, than AT&T's. He is now just waiting for the port to bite.
"That amount of money (offered by AT&T) won't even add p to the $250,000 we're offering, so we're just puzzled by what they're trying to do," he said. "It's just really sad what they're doing, you know ... They're neighbors, too."
Hundreds have joined Monma's fight against the tower. They believe a park should not be sacrificed to marginally improve cell phone reception.
The port commissioners will likely meet in December to consider the offer. If they reject it, Monma vows to fight the cell tower as it seeks all its necessary permits.
I don't even think the county would agree to issue a permit at this site. There is a county road on the east side (Possession Rd) that borders the trail and would be in serious jeopardy if the remaining trees on the crest were replaced with a concrete slab and tower. The east side of this bluff is very steep and unstable. On the south and west side there are numerous septic reserves that would be in danger of run off.
I just don't understand why POSW continues to pursue  this when they know it will do more harm than good to the Dorthy Clevland trail ( Trail created by POSW to commemorate Port of South Whidbey commissioner Dorothy Cleveland) and the surrounding community.
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This off the POSW website.Â
Our Mission Statement
To enhance the economic well-being of the community and increase public access to marine areas while respecting the unique rural character and environment of South Whidbey Island.
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Yea right!!
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Cell tower owners pay good money. Cash strapped parks departments would die for these opportunities. There are cell towers, by the way, that are "camoflaged (sp). Not perfect, but at least they try.
Or - You could give up your cell phone...
Wow........I guess that is dedication....... but I certainly dont have that kind of money to throw around .... hopefully they will just choose a different location and a homeowner isnt out 250k and the residents are happy.
 "Man to take out 2nd mortgage to battle proposed cell tower" Man then loses house to foreclosure then blames bank.
I am a neighbor, and what is not made clear is that this is a park already, Monma's intend to make sure it stays a park, without cell towers! Â It has the very beautiful Dorothy Cleveland trail, one of the most challenging trails on Whidbey Island, which travels through five ecosystems from sea level to the summit at 420'. It is at the summit, which has peek-a-boo views, where this AT&T tower is proposed, who would want such an ugly destination? This tower is not needed here, the trail gets 4-5 bars of service. This tower would lower the property values of all of the neighboring houses, Monma's just happens to be the closest, so they have the most to lose. We have no street lights, very little sound pollution, mostly only birds. We all moved here because of how little pollution is here. This tower would have a blinking red light since it is less than 5 miles from Paine field, and generators and alarms would bring light and sound pollution to our neighborhood. Plus a 500' road with a 16 degree incline 18' wide will take out a swath of over 50 trees, all still within the park, and cause a waterflow that will damage several pieces of downhill property. Â The Port of South Whidbey seems to think that $1100 per month for 5 years and possible future renewals some how adds up to $250,000 up front, they have very faulty math!
 @MTaylor It's not likely that ATT is going to all this trouble to improve mobile phone signals on the trail (too close), but rather a wider circumference. I've head many people complain about ATT's service on the island.Â
This is already a park... the Monma's are just trying to maintain the integrity of the park, unlike the elected commissioners who are suppose to be stewards of the land, but for a measly $1k a month they want to have 50 trees cuts down and a hug cement slab pored and big transformers put in place at the top a beaurtiful natural trail....for a 6-10 year investment......now all those trees are gone, they is a huge ugly slab of cement and a huge metal tower.....and no money cuz the AT&T lease is done.....Who is wining here?  obviously not the land!!!
30 year fixed mortgage just hit a record low of 3.31% Â
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Having said that, 10 year T bills only return like 1.7% Â haha!Â
Why don't they make the tower look like a lighthouse or something?
 @Klondiko At 145 ft tall, its taller than all the trees, its not really gonna matter if it looks like a lighthouse.
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Dude, I totally understand why you don't want this cell tower but don't get into debt for this. You can't win.Â
"....wants to turn acres of his forested land into a park"
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That's his story and he is sticking with it.  Don't hold your breath waiting for a picnic in "his" park. You will be no more welcome than the cell tower.
@al_wa - Actually, his plan is to deed it over to the correct authority as a permanent public park. All will be welcome forever.
 @Jeff Burnside, KOMO 4 News Investigative Reporter Â
This article is laughable. With a title of  "Man to take out 2nd mortgage to battle proposed cell tower" Do some research.
http://www.monma.com/clyde/html/Vita.html
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http://www.monma.com/clyde/html/Personal.html
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Investigative reporting. Not
 @Jeff Burnside, KOMO 4 News Investigative Reporter
"We're going to get a second mortgage," he said. "And we're going to take money out of our retirement fund."Â Â
He will carry a second mortgage, dip into his retirement fund to buy land and then give away land to the correct authority. OK
 @al_wa  @Jeff Burnside, KOMO 4 News Investigative Reporter I'm sure his intentions are good, but let's not kid around.  Donating the land as a park is a great way to avoid paying taxes too.  The question I have is how remote is his land and will people even come to this "park."  My gut tells me that he can buy the land, donate it, take a huge write off, never pay property taxes on it, and basically keep his forested land as status quo.  Just an opinion. Â
 http://www.monma.com/clyde/html/Vita.html
With credentials like this money should not be a problem.
The property belogns to the port, which means it is public property. Therefore if the port rules ands regs allow it then he can't fight it. The legislation that rules over the port gives them the right to do things. He may be right about the wrong use of the property for thiss purpose but he cannot dicatate to others what to do with their property unless it is an illegal use. For me, cell access is very important and a tower isn't a bad thing.
@Socialjusticeforall this is a tower by my house where the alarm on the transformer at the base was ringing for 3 weeks before somebody came and took care of it....can you sleep thru an alarm for 3 weeks?
@Socialjusticeforall - Complex public projects are not always that simple. Like many endeavors, there are disputes over permit requirements and interpretations of laws. So citizens can certainly dispute this as the process moves from one govt authority (starting with the Port) to others who must give the OK. There is a sizable petition oppositing the cell tower at this location. Port Commissioners tell me they've also heard from cell phone users who want the tower. Perhaps the final solution will be placing the tower in one of the several alternate sites that citizens find less objectionable.
All that over a cell phone tower? Really? I'm guessing Clyde is one of those people with too much money who don't have anything better to do but to complain about everything else. Put the tower up so actual people with real problems have something to be thankful for in that area.
@Zoso - His opposition is a measure of his passion for this piece of majestic property. And many others I met at the site say they feel the same way. He appears to be a very busy man running a small business on the island with his wife. Both sides say the site will marginally improve cell phone use on the island but the bulk of the improved reception will actually be on the mainland across the water from this site.
 @Zoso There are enough towers. Let's just have a nice park, instead. If your signal is not as strong as you like in this area, then maybe it is time to turn off your stupid phone and enjoy some time in the park.
 @Zoso Likely he doesn't have a lot of money if he is considering taking out a second mortgage.Â
 @PrairieDawn I almost said he was rich until I saw the mortage bit. Yeah I guess you're right.
There's more and better info in the comments than in the article. In fact it appears that some "facts" in the article are grossly inaccurate, like the "hundreds" of people opposed to the tower. You should quote Monma when he's the only one saying it.Â
 @bagsofdirt http://gossipextra.com/2012/10/04/george-zimmerman-911-tape-fired-reporter-1885/
@bagsofdirt - Actually, I viewed a petition with more than 200 names on it opposing the tower at this site. And those I spoke with say they feel there will be no problem getting many more names. The Port Commissioners I spoke with say they've heard anecdotally from citizens who want better cell phone service and have no problem with this site. What other facts do you feel are grossly inaccurate? Perhaps I can further clarify for you based on my firsthand experience reporting the story and speaking directly with those involved.
 @bagsofdirt More information and more accuracy in the comments than the article??!!?? This has to be a first for this web site!Â
Oh, wait, no it isn't â it's about 90 percent of the articles on here these days! And if I recall, you've provided several of those informational comments and/or links to more details.Â
I hope he blocks this then dies one day of an accident while out in his "park" because his cell had no service.
 @Barlion ATT and Verizon users have 4-5 bars of service in this Possession Beach Waterfront Park and on the Dorothy Cleveland Trail. I fell and broke my ankle on this trail and had no trouble getting aid. You see this is not about service it is about destroying a park with 100 year old trees so the Port can make $1100 per month for a few years.
 @Barlion You can delete your post and only a few will know who and what you said.
 @Barlion Anyone that would post anything this stupid has to be troll. I shouldn't even take the time to respond. I wouldn't even wish this (death) upon you even though you are an a**hole and a total moron.Â
@Barlion that's a pretty heartless thing to say
 @Barlion Man, I sure wouldn't wanna meet you in a dark alley!
 @Barlion Excuse me?? You hope he dies?   My, aren't you a piece of work!
The "hundreds of supporters" thing is bunk, as far as I can tell. Monma claims to have supporter-signed petitions, but much like Nixon's plan to end the Vietnam war and Romney's tax returns, they've never been shared.
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Once again, the rich will manage to buy the government that they want. The only issue at all here for the Monmas is their property value; they said as much in the comments section of the local rag a couple of years ago. They later went back and edited their comments once they realized that rich-guy whining wasn't going over so well.
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(When they edited the comments, they removed all of the original "our property values are going to go down" sniffling and pasted in copies of a woo-woo "cell towers are frying our brains!1!!" article instead. Hint: anyone concerned with cell or other radio signal should learn the difference between ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. You do know there is a thing called "science" which can help you with this stuff, eh?)
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It much be lovely to live up on that bluff, with the direct line-of-sight to Mukilteo's cell towers, and hence signal; I live less than a mile from Monma, down the hill, and we, and all of our neighbors, have no cell signal at all. In this day and age that varies from inconvenient to dangerous.
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The Port itself isn't interested in talking to the public about this; all communication with them goes unanswered. I tried to register my support for leasing the land to AT&T, but apparently they had about 250,000 reasons not to answer.
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I wish the "reporter" of this story actually did some digging rather than just listening to Monma's rantings. Everyone down the hill here would like to be able to use their cell phones. If I had enough land and was at the top of the hill, I'd lease it to ATT for two 500' towers, preferably with neon signage on the side facing Monma's estate. I even have a message chosen.
 @Cultus The only thing that's "bunk" is your comments. I also live below bluff and have no issues anywhere with cell reception.Â
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@Cultus - I spoke with several people on both sides of the issue. They were gracious enough to talk with me on Thanksgiving, which I appreciate. Certainly, improving cell phone service is the goal of installing new towers and So. Whidbey does need that. There was some uncertainty about how much the tower would improve local service versus improving service on the mainland. I'm not sure why you had problems getting information from the Port but there is much information posted online. The Port Commissioners I spoke with were very accomodating.
He SAYS he's going to turn the land into a park. Â How exactly does that happen? Â And I'm sick of bad cell service up here. Â Let the tower go up.
Looks like swamp land to me...??
If Momma ain't happy, ain't no one happy.Â
"In 2010, more than one-half of all new cancers were cancers of the prostate, female breast, lung, and colon/rectum. According to American Cancer Society projections, there were 1,529,560 new cases of cancer in 2010, including 217,730 cases of prostate cancer; 209,060 cases of female breast cancer; 222,520 cases of lung cancer; and 142,570 cases of colon/rectum cancer."
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That's right, our food and air quality is going to kill us, but those cell towers can fry our brains and we won't even bat an eye-lash. Â Alas, we should just move into a gigantic microwave.
 @31F the majority of cancers are linked to cigarettes and alcohol, as well as pesticides. Cell phone towers? not so much.
 @DT  @31F I'm not arguing that cell towers do or don't cause cancer.  I have my opinions though. BUT, cigarettes, alcohol, and pesticides have been around a long time.  Much, much longer than cell towers.  Until they study cell towers as extensively as they've studied alcohol, cigarettes, and pesticides, we don't know how they affect cancer rates.
@31F So what do those numbers mean, and how do they compare with numbers from earlier years? How do we know that people are getting cancer at higher rates these day? Maybe the numbers are simply higher due to better detection rather than to increased cancer - if the numbers *are* higher. Also, what are the scientific studies that indicate that being near a cell tower is bad for our health?
 @31F Spouting numbers without anything to support them means nothing.
This Tower's Proposed location has ABSOLUTELY ZERO coverage problems, I sail around Possession Point all the time on my boat and my 4g phone never ever looses service, i even use the phone as a gps backup which only runs on towers, Why would a tower even help there anyway? Waste of Money All Around I say, but at least Monma is trying to preserve the natural environment. A tower there would be ugly to anyone with a view of south whidbey island.
 @Michael Farrens lol ya 4G. You need to do some studying and find out how cell towers work.
@Barlion
Monma is my neighbor and I use 4g internet with a perfect signal with it I watch movies streaming in 1080 all the time, and my 4g phones work perfect as well. Cell Service Works Perfect all the way to port townsend on the water too. At&t is wasting its money to cover places already covered. I have no problem with money being wasted by dumb people at the phone company it is the environment of that park that cannot be replaced once 50 trees get cut, and that seems stupid with ample cell coverage already in place.