'Cell NO!' Group fighting Cell Phone Towers in Waukesha, Face Tall Task

WAUKESHA, WI -- Citing declining property values and health risks, area residents in Waukesha are opposing the installation of a big ugly cell phone tower in their neighborhood - but there might not be anything anyone can do about it.

According to multiple reports this week, a group of neighbors is fighting plans for a proposed 106-foot cell phone tower that U.S. Cellular wants to build on the property of El Buen Samaritano United Methodist Church, 915 Magnolia Drive.

According to a report from the Waukesha Freeman, area resident Amy Gruetzmacher told the paper that she and her neighbors are upset about the prospect of the new tower moving in.

According to the Freeman report, a 2013 state law has effectively stymied local governments from blocking cell phone tower permits based on "aesthetic purposes."

“We’ve been trying to work with the appropriate channels, but we don’t have a lot of options here because of the state statutes,” Waukesha County Supervisor Mike Crowley, and area resident told the Freeman.

>>> image via patch.com file photo