'Dead spot' controversy

by Kim Pham

With tears streaming down her face and flowers in her hand, the young Framingham girl knelt down on the dewy grave. She silently prayed for her deceased grandfather, remembering his laughter, his smile, and all of their precious memories. Still crying, the girl raised her blurry vision to scan the serene landscape, but found herself jarred back to reality by a hideous image; an imposing cell phone tower soaring from the once-placid cemetery.

Because of bad cell phone reception in nearby roads, the Archdiocese of Boston is currently contemplating building the tower in the area, specifically at the 150-year-old St. George Cemetery. T-Mobile would oversee the construction of the freestanding “flagpole tower” in able to close a coverage gap in northern Framingham and the Mass Pike. (Ironically, they would be building something on a dead spot to get rid of a dead spot!) However, the residents of the town aren't seeing any humor in the situation; they are vehemently rallying against the building of the new structure.

And rightly so! Besides the obvious aesthetic intrusion of the cell phone tower, the disrespect of its' construction goes beyond being unpleasant. A cemetery is a sacred ground for prayer, beauty, and peace for those who mourn for their loved ones; the cell phone tower is a blatant and offensive reminder of technology in the face of solemn tranquility. It is morally unethical to erect something in complete disregard for the respect of the deceased.

Also, it is utterly unfair to those family members of those buried in St. George's cemetery. They did not pay money for their resting love ones' graves to be practically desecrated by the building of the T-Mobile tower. Even after the construction is finished, maintenance trucks will have to often return to the tower for check-ups, repairs, etc. By doing so, they are only continuing to further interrupt the somber peacefulness of the scene. The 8-foot-tall fence surrounding the cell phone tower will also do little to comfort the Framingham residents of the proposed “unnoticeable” change to the cemetery.

T-Mobile, let alone the Archdiocese of Boston, should not even be contemplating the mere thought of the 100-foot-tall cell phone tower at St. George Cemetery. It's not even a question of profit or convenience; it's the moral aspect that appalls me. The cell phone tower proposal needs to be rejected; surely, another spot can be staked out in the area. If not, the tower should not go up at all. Those driving on the Mass Pike can sacrifice several seconds of conversation for the respect of those who lay buried in the ground, peacefully resting as they should be.

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