They're smaller, more "stealthy," and more numerous than ever in Escondido.
Just as cellular phones are becoming more advanced, the cell phone towers that provide them with reception also are evolving.
What began as simple, obvious - some would say ugly - metal poles with antennas at the top in the late 1980s and early 1990s have become what experts in the field call a much "stealthier" cell phone tower.
Escondido city officials say that 103 such towers are scattered about the city, disguised as trees, hidden on roofs or built right into church steeples, flagpoles and bell towers. Fifty-five of the cell phone towers were approved since 2001, officials said.
In the 1990s, cell phone companies began creating artificial trees to hide their antennas, but the faux flora wouldn't have fooled a botanist or even a five-year-old upon close inspection.
In recent years, the fake trees have become more realistic, more diverse in the species they emulate, and almost indistinguishable from the real thing, right down to their artificial bark and leaves.
The next step in this evolutionary process to create a less noticeable antenna tower was to integrate the electronics directly into buildings. This more subtle approach since has become the preferred method, when appropriate, Escondido officials say.
"With the architectural elements, you get the total stealth technology where it's virtually invisible," Bill Martin, the city's principal planner, said last week. "With the trees, you can still see the antennas."
Evolving stealth
Cell phone antenna "trees" - let's call the species Arbola cellularis - flourish in Escondido. Through the years, simple palm trees evolved into pines and then broadleaf evergreens that Martin said are "the latest tree innovation."
One of the more primitive fake palm trees is behind Albertsons grocery store on East Valley Parkway, in the southwest corner of the parking lot. Though the tree's artificial origin isn't obvious from the street, an observer doesn't have to get close to notice it isn't real.
In addition to the two massive metal boxes containing electrical equipment at the base of the tree, the trunk is little more than brown metal with rings simulating those of a real palm tree painted every one to two feet along the 50-foot pole.
At the top, green equipment and antennas can be seen poking out of the obviously plastic, identical green palm fronds.
More modern antenna trees are less obvious, said associate city planner Jay Paul, who handles the city's permitting process for cell phone towers.
"There's other ones, you get right up to them, you touch them, you don't know that it's not a tree," Paul said.
Cell phone companies use the towers to fill in small gaps in their coverage, Paul said.
Gone are the days when cell phones were considered just an emergency phone for highway travel, he said.
"They (the companies) need to get into areas that before didn't need cell service," Paul said. "Now, the cell phone is taking over the place of the normal phone you have in your house."
Where churches come in
The need for tall structures in which antennas can be hidden has become a boon for churches, which are able to supplement their income through their architecture.
Some churches are just getting on board with plans for their first lease to let a phone company to install an antenna on the church property, such as Trinity Episcopal Church at Ninth Avenue and Chestnut Street, which plans to put a Sprint antenna in its steeple. Others already have multiple cell phone towers or contracts.
Emmanuel Faith Community Church on East Felicita Avenue has antennas serving two cell phone companies in an artificial tree in the parking lot and another antenna for a third company on its roof, officials there said.
At New Life Presbyterian Church, construction to complete a steeple has been delayed until after an antenna contract with Cingular is reached, the Rev. Ted Hamilton said. The church already has T-Mobile antennas on two of its parking lot light towers, he said.
"We know that we're strategically located for the cell companies because we're close to the freeway, so we were an obvious choice," Hamilton said.
Although officials from several churches interviewed last week didn't want to disclose how much they earn from their leases with cell phone companies, some said the amount isn't a large part of the church's income. But it does help, they said.
"We'd get rental income and the cell company gets its site," Hamilton said about the church's decision to allow a cell phone tower.
The Rev. Pam Reynolds of United Way Church in Vista said that not only does her church make money from its cell phone tower, but also the cell phone company paid for the construction of a new bell tower to house the antennas.
"What works well for the church is that Sprint put up the tower, but the structure now belongs to us," Reynolds said.
National WorkerRF Safety Crisis Video Our nations’ workers and the welfare of their families
are at risk! Watch the video to see how.
Escondido cell phone towers getting 'stealthy'
Source: North County Times
