Every communications tower built in the United States goes through a prescribed process. Part of the process involves having the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) evaluate whether or not a tower will have an "adverse impact" on a site listed or eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Maryland SHPO clearly indicates in a letter dated January 8, 2001 that the tower sited at the District Court site does have an adverse impact on the nationally registered historic district of Elliott City. The National Trust for Historic Preservation expressed concerns about the site, shortly thereafter.

When a SHPO indicates an adverse impact, the FCC is required to investigate two main things: Are there potential alternative sites? If not, is there anything that can be done at the original site to mitigate the adverse impact?

It is incumbent on every citizen, every County employee and every elected official to determine if an equally effective tower can be constructed at the Campus site, the future home of the County complex. The historic district of Ellicott City is too precious a resource to the entire County to risk an unnecessary adverse impact.

It is unclear to anyone at this point if a tower at the Campus site can be effective. We know that the County was actively negotiating for an adjacent parcel to the site as a potential tower location. We know that the County's FCC license is currently for the Campus location. What we do not know, is what the already completed coverage studies indicate, because despite a Freedom of Information Order, the County has not released that data due to the potential exposure of Motorola trade secrets.

Every concerned individual that I have spoken with, including the Brights, the Directors of the Patapsco Female Institute, the Counsel for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Maryland Historic Trust, and the citizens of Church Road and Sylvan Lane supports the system, and supports a tower for Ellicott City. They are simply asking if there is a better alternative to the District Court site, and no one has been able to provide them with that answer. In fact, the data and information simply does not yet exist for any individual or group to make an informed decision on the placement of this tower. Those decisions need to be made at the end of this evaluation process. Making a decision beforehand is a rush to judgement.

It is a disservice to the citizens who live within the historic district to portray them as only interested in their property values. Many of these individuals have worked tirelessly at making Ellicott City the gem it is today, and they deserve better. Citizens should never be castigated for following the due process allowed to them by the laws of this democracy.

We are preservationists. We do support public safety first. Still, we find it incredibly sad and difficult to believe that with all the technology advances available to us, protecting public health and safety has to come at the expense of our irreplaceable heritage. Protecting and Preserving our Historic Districts should not be mutually exclusive.

- Mary Catherine Cochran