Carroll County's Planning and Zoning Commission does not have much, if any, power to deny proposed changes for a communications tower on Hollenberry Road, in Sykesville, based on health concerns.

That's a finding of the county's Health Department, which issued an opinion Jan. 29 in the wake of residents' concerns about the microwave emissions from the tower.

Last month, officials from BGE presented a concept proposal to the Planning and Zoning Commission seeking to add antennas and a microwave dish for an internal emergency communications network at an existing tower off Hollenberry Road.

The application drew concern from commission members Wayne Schuster and Alec Yeo -- and some neighbors -- regarding potential radiation emissions.

However, according to a letter by Charles Zeleski, director of environmental health for the County Health Department, the county can't do much about the issue -- and the health department says the antennae radiation won't cause any harm anyway.

Zeleski said in the Jan. 29 letter that the department found that there are federal laws regulating concerning antennae and towers -- thus superseding local laws.

"Essentially, local governments cannot deny approval of proposed antennae based on potential health effects," he wrote.

Electromagnetic waves emitted from the tower appear to be safe, Zeleski said.

That opinion concurs with testimony from BGE's engineer Jeff Slack and a consultant's report. Zeleski wrote that each antenna would produce less than one one-thousandth of the standard outlined by the federal statute.

Depending on the type of antenna, the FCC allows for a range of 570 to 1,000 microwatts per square centimeter of radiation. The proposed antennae generates .17 microwatts per square centimeter of radiation, Zeleski said.

"Based on our research, this office has no objections to the approval of the project," he wrote.

But while the radiation issue falls under federal enforcement, Zeleski did say that any noise issue caused by power generators or other equipment would be regulated by the county and state noise ordinances.

Hollenberry Road resident Nicole Musgrave-Burdette, who raised concerns about the tower, said this week she was not aware of the letter and was unsure of what her next steps would be.

BGE still must come back to the planning commission for a preliminary and final review before the commission can approve or deny the plan. No date has been set for that review.

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