About ten years ago, when they first started figuring ways to disguise cell telephone towers, I found it interesting. I remember what a shock it was to me one day, when complaining about how stocky and out of proportion the flag pole was at the new fire hall, being told it was not REALLY a flagpole at all. It was there as a cell tower and the city was going to hang a flag on it... so there!  The photo below does not have the flag in place, as they sometimes put it up and sometimes do not. But you can see that, cosmetically, the pole is more like an elongated can than a streamlined and attractive pole. They started doing this to hide the towers as they proliferated, in theory to keep them from impacting the property values of homes. There is still another group of people that is concerned that the radiation from the towers is a far bigger issue than looks. The camouflage probably quiets some of these people, too, as they do not know the cell tower is there unless they knew it was going in. Once you have seen one of these out of proportion flag poles, however, you can spot them a mile away. Far as I know, in my area, the only means being used to hide them is the flagpole....but I admit I could be wrong on that. I remember they were talking about a tree out in the county, not sure if they did that or not. In doing a bit of research, I found it amazing that some companies make their sole income coming up with unique designs that blend the towers into the surroundings -- from churches to wooded areas. Take a look at some of the creative towers at this link. Viewing Online, the trees look pretty authentic. It is hard to buy that they would look that good in person. Maybe some of you in real estate know of such towers in your community and can comment as to how they fit in and whether or not you believe they have any impact on property values.

Typical out-of-proportion flagpole

Main fire hall, Broadway

Thanks for tuning in,

Steven L. Smith

Bellingham WA home inspector

www.kingofthehouse.com