1/29/00 UPDATE:  Over 200 people braved the 20 degree weather to turn out
for a "NO CELL TOWER" rally in front of Ossining High School. Members of
the press were out in force also. ABC, NBC, NEWS 12 CABLEVISION and others
from the electronic media shared the crowded space in front of the school
with local and regional print and radio reporters, dodging cars on Route 9
as the sidewalks filled up with cell tower opponents. Saturday's evening TV
news broadcasts on NBC and Fox NYC stations ran pieces on the rally. The
Sunday New York Times ran a piece in the Westchester section (page 16).
Organized promised to announce another rally within the next week.

Meanwhile, a city in northern Westchester County joined the rapidly growing
list of suburban communities voicing health and safety health and safety
concerns about pending cell tower proposals. Friday's Gannett newspaper
"The Journal News" announced that the Peekskill City Council, in response
to a pending proposal to place cell towers upon a populous cooperative
housing project, will undertake a review of their municipal cell tower
siting laws. This month alone saw residents and municipal officials in
Ossining, Yorktown, Irvington,  and Spring Valley  publicly raise their
objections to pending cell tower proposals.

Activists in the Ossining effort have proposed that the groups link
together in a common, coordinate  effort, in order to spread their message
to the entire region and reap the benefits of mutual support. One Ossining
resident, Don DeBar, has also issued a call to the New York Senate and
Assembly for legislation that would ban such towers on school property
throughout the state. The legislation, which seeks to amend Section 403-a
of the NYS Education Law, was recently endorsed by at least one local
newspaper, The North County News see http://www.northcountynews.com for the
week of 1/26/00, "Editorials".

DeBar has begun a statewide signature campaign on a letter to the Governor
asking for passage of the proposed amendment to Section 403-a, as well as a
statewide "letters to the editor" campaign. A proposed form letter follows:

To the Editor:

The undersigned call upon our local governments to adopt the following
resolution at their next public meeting:

WHEREAS the use of cellular telecommunications technology has exploded in
the past 5 years throughtout the country and much of the world, and

WHEREAS the question of adverse effects upon the ecology of, and all life
upon, planet earth has been raised, and

WHEREAS the state of medical science at this point in time is inconclusive
as to this question, although some research has provided indications of
potential increases in leukemia, brain cancer, impaired learning and memory
function and other adverse effects that may occur in humans, and

WHEREAS a host of medical experts currently agree that, until this
technology is proven safe for humans, a policy of "prudent avoidance"
should be followed in the placement of cellular transmission and relay
towers, particularly with respect to areas with concentrations of children
and adolescents, and

WHEREAS the community of Ossining, NY, now facing the imminent
implementation of a decision to place a cell tower upon its only high
school, has begun to demand that the tower not be placed there or upon any
other school or place frequented by its children or adolescents, and

WHEREAS the plight of Ossining has pointed to the need for legislation at
the State level in order to prevent any further risk of exposure of other
students, faculty or staff in New York State to a similar risk, and

WHEREAS a member of the Ossining community, Don DeBar, has proposed an
amendment to the NYS Education Law, by adding to Section 403-a thereof a
new subsection 7, to wit:

"7. No school property shall be sold, leased, or otherwise alienated, or
used, for the placement and/or operation of any cellular transmission
and/or relay facilities."

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the __________________
hereby calls upon the Senate and Assembly of the State of New York to pass
such legislation, and upon the Governor of the State of New York to duly
sign the same, and, further, that the Governor direct the Commissioner of
Education to impose a moratorium on the further execution, implementation
and/or consideration of any application to place any such facility upon any
such property over which it has jurisdiction anywhere within this State.

Respectfully submitted by
(YOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT)