BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Construction was scheduled to begin May 1 on a plan to place a 99-foot cell phone tower atop a church steeple that has drawn both praise and criticism.
WKMG-TV in Orlando reported that some members of the community called the project sacrilegious, but that church's pastor thought it was a great idea. The money from three unidentified phone companies paid for restorations at the church.
"Every single dime has gone into restoration of the church -- I mean every dime," said the Rev. David Seabrooke, pastor of Camino Real Community Church. "And over the term of the lease, we're going to continue to use the funds to build the school and the church."
The news account did not give specifics about payment, but a New York Times article about similar arrangements stated churches reap an average of $1,000 to $3,000 a month in fees.
The Times reported that fewer than 1 percent of an estimated 100,000 cellular towers in the United States are found in steeples or crosses.
