The Cave Creek School District governing board voted unanimously Tuesday to accept the contractor's bid of $13.6 million.

The price tag is the same as it was two weeks ago, when board members Javier Ledesma, Lisa Doche and Marvin Christensen asked for more time to study the issue.

At the time, Christensen said he was concerned that the district was building a school that won't be needed for several years, while Cactus Shadows High School has more pressing needs to grow because it is becoming overcrowded.

At Tuesday's meeting, Assistant Superintendent Tom Elliott told the board that a district committee would need more than two weeks to come up with a plan for new buildings for the high school.

The new middle school will be finished in fall 2006, but it won't be needed until 2007, because the number of new students moving into the district has changed.

Predicting exactly when to open a new school is difficult. For example, the district's ideal time to open a new school is when the current schools are filled to 10 percent over capacity.

"People have had trouble with us waiting until they're too full," Elliott said.

Possible solutions include holding high school classes at the new school until a new high school is built, or moving Sonoran Trails Middle School, which is next to Cactus Shadows, to the new building, which would open space for the high school students.

Even though he voted in favor, Christensen said he's still concerned.

"I voted in favor in spite of the fact that I'm not sure that we have a good plan," he said. "I don't think that's the way responsible boards act."

He said he was persuaded to vote in favor because he knows that costs for building the school will continue to rise.

Board member Stephanie Reese said that she voted in favor because the new school will offer the district the ability to move classrooms around.

"If we don't build it, it's impossible to have that flexible space," she said.

The new school, which will be the district's third middle school, is part of a $41.6 million bond approved by the voters in 2000 to build four schools at the southeastern corner of Pinnacle Vista Drive and 56th Street.

Reach the reporter at ofelia.madrid@scottsdalerepublic.com or (602) 444-6879.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer, a part of the World Health Organization concluded that EMF is a carcinogen. Lead and asbestos are in the same category. The average EMF levels at this school site will exceed 10 mG (milligauss), and peak levels of EMF will exceed 15 mG.

Children show an increased risk for leukemia with EMF exposures of 1.7 mG and above, and adults show increased risk for cancer at 3 to 4 mG. Some states have laws that keep schools away from power lines, but Arizona has none. We need our legislators to establish regulations that will help school boards with this issue.

To protect our children and staff, I believe we should postpone moving into the new school until we control this hazard. I urge parents to learn more by visiting sites such as www.powerlinefacts.com, and to write to the school board and legislators.

-- Rees Candee

Scottsdale

But over the past few months, he has added a quiet crusade to his workload, warning Cave Creek Unified School District officials and parents -- and anyone who will listen -- about possible health risks posed by emissions from the high-voltage transmission lines near a $15 million middle school under construction at Pinnacle Vista and 56th Street.

"You expect when you send your kids to school they will be safe," he said. "You don't expect them to be zapped."

The federal government has said there is no link between the power lines and disease.

However, Candee's cause is gaining momentum. The School Board has spent money on studies and is considering moving the lines. Some parents say they won't send their kids to the new Sonoran Trails Middle School when it opens this fall, and are wondering why the school was built near the lines in the first place.

"That was a big mistake," said Jeff Hargens, whose sixth-grader would go to the school. "Common sense says there is a lot of juice going through those lines."

On a mission

To spread the word, Reese creates colorful fliers suggesting that electromagnetic fields, or EMFs, from the 30-foot-tall lines are "threatening your child's health."

He prepared a PowerPoint presentation for the school district's governing board quoting studies from the World Health Organization and the International Agency for Cancer Research linking childhood leukemia to EMF exposure.

However, the Western Area Power Administration, the federal agency that built the 59-year-old lines, says in a pamphlet that there is "very little evidence" linking electrical fields to childhood cancer. The agency also adds that that more exposure comes from microwaves and hair dryers than transmission lines. And officials point out that other schools have been built under power lines.

Still, Candee persists. He has e-mailed all 90 state lawmakers about what he perceives as a health risk. None responded.

Candee, who began reading about EMFs three years ago, is not a table-pounding activist. He is quiet-spoken and amicable. But determined.

His presentations persuaded the School Board to spend $7,000 on a study to determine EMF levels on the campus.

The district is forking over an additional $20,000 to the power authority to decide whether it is possible to move the lines farther away from the school. The move, which would depend on soil conditions, right-of-way, and other factors, could cost the district $1 million or more in contingency funds but wouldn't shut off the power.

Candee says he knows the district could have ignored him, but says, "They've done a great job."

Kent Frison, who oversees the Cave Creek district's spending, said the district takes complaints like this seriously.

"It could have been a crack in the sidewalk," he said.

Several parents, including Candee and his wife, Suzanne Wright, say they won't send their children to the new Sonoran Trails Middle School at least for the first semester.

Even if the School Board agrees that the lines can be moved, the work won't get done until Dec. 31, says Randy Wilkerson, corporate communications director for the power administration. The move wouldn't disrupt power to the schools, power authority officials said.

Laura May, a Candee supporter, says she is looking at private schools for her daughter, even though it could cost thousands of dollars a year.

"I don't even stand in front of the microwave," she said.

Cherie Day, another parent, says she is also looking elsewhere.

"Unless I can find them someplace else for them to go," she said, "I'm sending them there very reluctantly."

Day says she has long been concerned about EMFs and "has gone out of my way to avoid them."

Candee and his wife don't allow their children to stand near the microwave, and protect themselves from EMFs emitted by television sets, breaker boxes and other appliances.

The parents wonder why the school site was placed near the lines in the first place, a decision made about two years ago.

Site selection

Tom Elliott, now at the Paradise Valley Unified School District, was the budget overseer at the Cave Creek district when the decision was made.

"It wasn't our first choice," he said.

He said the power lines were a concern, in addition to others.

"We knew we would have to address the lines," he said.

The 165-acre site was selected in conjunction with the district, the State Land Department and the School Facilities Board, which helps fund building new schools. Elliott said they looked at other locations, but none worked out.

The district got the parcel for free.

Earlier this year, the Cave Creek district paid a consultant $7,000 to survey the electromagnetic field around the school site. In part, the study showed that under the lines in the parking lot, the average EMF level was 14.5 milliGauss (mG), the unit used to measure the level of emissions. Thirty feet from the line in the northeastern section of the multipurpose building, the average reading dipped to 9.5 mG. The readings went down in buildings farther from the lines.

But without federal or state EMF standards, there is no way to determine the readings' significance, Dennis Roehler, the district's director of facilities and new construction, said during a March school board meeting.

Candee and his supporters want average readings of 1 mG, which were taken at 230 feet from the lines in the southwest section of the administration building.

CAPTION: 1. Rees Candee takes a reading of the EMFs coming from the computers in his home. He is crusading to get power lines near Sonoran Trails Middle School moved. CAPTION: 2. Power lines run across the property of the new Sonoran Trails Middle School.

While it's one thing to occasionally drive under the heavy-duty lines, it's quite another to expect children to have to spend six hours a day, five days a week beneath the shadow of these towering structures, which constantly hum from the massive amount of electricity coursing through their cables.

That the Cave Creek Unified School District approved construction of the $15 million Sonoran Trails Middle School next to high-voltage power lines that emit continuous electromagnetic fields is troubling -- especially since concerns were raised in the initial planning phase.

Tom Elliott, a former district budget overseer of the project, acknowledged that the power lines were a concern ("Filmmaker takes quiet route to expose EMF risk to kids," Scottsdale Republic, May 29), but apparently construction proceeded despite doubts. The district since has spent $7,000 on a study to determine EMF levels and has given $20,000 to the power authority to decide if it's possible to move the lines, a project that could cost upward of $1 million.

The site, which the district received gratis, isn't appearing to be such a great deal now. Just wait until the inevitable lawsuits are filed a few years down the line by parents claiming the lines pose foreseen health risks to their children.

It's a travesty that the district put any weight on the "objective" word of the Western Area Power Administration, the federal agency that built the 59-year-old lines out in the middle of what then was sparsely populated desert, when they claim there's "very little evidence" linking electrical fields to childhood cancer.

In fact, there are many studies by reputable, objective organizations and researchers that have found strong evidence linking EMFs to a wide range of adverse effects in the human body when regularly exposed to these invisible lines of energy that penetrate virtually anything that stands in their way -- including the walls of a typical middle school.

Suggested reading for anyone who doubts a correlation between frequent exposure to high-voltage lines and cancer is the disturbing book Currents of Death by Paul Brodeur, a longtime staff writer at the New Yorker magazine. The book presents numerous corroborative, independent studies and statistics by renowned scientists linking EMFs with a slew of health risks, including altered pulse rates, fatigue, drowsiness and headache.

While the district is now making a public effort to deal with parental concerns over the perceived risk, this situation could have been entirely avoided by choosing a location better suited to the proper physical and mental development of children.

Now the problem remains that without federal or state EMF standards, there's no yardstick to determine acceptable levels of exposure. But perhaps there are no acceptable levels, especially in exposure to children.

District officials should weigh the long-term ramifications of proceeding with construction at the current site, as anything beyond negligible, human-induced EMF exposure poses enough liability to make the $15 million construction seem like a pittance.

Sondra Barr is a Scottsdale resident. She can be reached at sbarr@sondrabarr.com.

CAPTION: High-voltage transmission lines run across the property that is the proposed site for a new middle school in Cave Creek.

Barr points a finger where it belongs. If the Cave Creek Unified School District wants to build a school under high-voltage lines, it first should ask those who promote that route to live for a year where the school will be built.

About 10 years ago, when the U.S. Forest Service's Cave Creek District planned its new headquarters on land under high-voltage lines, I pointed out the dangers that were detailed in author Paul Brodeur's book, Currents of Death. The district wisely changed its construction plans by simply moving the building site.

Now the school district has been warned by Barr. There surely are better locations for a school.

-- Jack Grenard

Carefree

CAPTION: A new school doesn't belong near power lines, a writer says.

Here are three facts that the majority of STMS parents don't know:

* The high-voltage transmission lines next to the new school will generate electromagnetic field levels in occupied spaces that will range as high as 10 to 15 milligauss.

* The World Health Organization classifies EMF as a possible carcinogen.

* Studies reveal a correlation between childhood leukemia and EMF, beginning at exposures of 1.4 milligauss.

The Cave Creek Unified School District board is studying the situation and looking for solutions. However, the School Board needs the political capital that comes from people like Barr and many others in the community, speaking up and asking for the situation to be corrected.

Please write the School Board and ask its members to fix this. While you're at it, write your state representative and ask for legislation that will protect children throughout the state.
-- Rees Candee
Scottsdale
Rees Candee is an independent filmmaker who is warning people about possible health risks posed by high-voltage transmission lines near Sonoran Trails Middle School, being built at Pinnacle Vista and 56th Street in Cave Creek.
CAPTION: Rees Candee warns of the danger to schoolchildren from electromagnetic fields.

Dennis Schaefer, spokesman for the federal Western Power Administration, which built the 59-year-old lines, said Wednesday that the study has not begun but should go "very quickly."

The Cave Creek Unified School District governing board approved $20,000 to study the possibility of moving the lines farther from school buildings under construction at 56th Street and Pinnacle Vista.

The new $15 million Sonoran Trails Middle School is set to open this fall.

Some parents fear that electromagnetic fields from the lines can cause brain cancer, leukemia and other diseases.

While school officials say there is no clear evidence of harm, and no state or federal standards for emissions, they agreed to the study. The district also paid $7,000 to a consultant to take EMF readings at various locations around the construction site.

Energy levels are detected with a milliGaus (mG) meter, which does not only detect levels of electromagnetic radiation emitted by electrical appliances, but also the electromagnetic energy absorbed by the body.

That study showed EMF levels of 14.5 mG, the unit of measurement used to gauge emissions, directly under the lines in the parking lot. An additional 30 feet from the lines, the level dipped to 9.5 mG.

Javier Ledesma, governing board president, said that if it is feasible to move the lines, the estimated $1 million job would be done during the December school break so students and teachers would not be inconvenienced.

The $1 million would come from a district contingency fund and would not affect other school expenditures.

CAPTION: A study will look at the safety of power lines near a middle school being built by the Cave Creek Unified School District.

Kent Frison, the district's operations and finance director, said he expects to be contacted next week by officials of the Western Area Power Administration, the federal agency that oversees the power lines.

The agency's estimates have been as high as $2 million to move the 59-year-old power lines near the school at 56th Street and Pinnacle Vista Drive.Frison said the money to move the lines will come from a district contingency fund and will not affect school expenditures.

The controversy over the lines arose early this year, when Rees Candee, a parent of two students at the new school, warned School Board members that emissions from the lines could cause brain cancer, leukemia and other ailments.

Although board members say they can't be sure there is a connection between the diseases and the lines, they agreed to do studies and consider moving them.

"It will shorten bus rides and kids will be able to walk or ride their bikes to school."

Still, the school's location at 56th Street and Pinnacle Vista Drive worries a small group of parents because it is near high-voltage lines erected by a federal agency 59 years ago.

Because some parents fear their children could be harmed by exposure to the lines' electromagnetic fields, school officials are negotiating with the federal Western Area Power Administration to move them.

Meanwhile, teachers shelved books and tidied classrooms Wednesday,making the most of the last day before school starts.

Beazley, his Blackberry buzzing, was explaining the features of what he calls a "world-class school."

He stepped out onto the commons, a park-like expanse of grass ringed by classrooms, cafeteria, gym and administration building. It is one of the school's subtle safety features.

"I can stand out here and see every student," Beazley said from behind the administration building. "There are no angles, or nooks and crannies where students can hide."

Nearby, the school's on-campus Phoenix police officer can keep his eye on the commons and the campus from large observation windows.

Sinks are poised outside bathrooms so "students don't hang around in there in front of mirrors and get in trouble," Beazley said.

'Houses' make school

The heart of this new school are its "houses," eight self-contained classrooms where each grade is divided into two teams of 120 students, overseen by four teachers.

Gifted, special-education and other students are blended into a team, studying math, social studies, language arts and science.

Special-education teachers work on the same team with other teachers, a pairing that "reduces the stigma" for children with learning difficulties, Beazley said.

A.J. Kaphing, a special-education teacher with expertise in behavior, said sixth-graders with learning challenges spend less time with the teams because "they are dealing with a lot of issues."

Projects planned

At the end of each quarter, the teachers and students will conjure up a project.

Maybe they create a lunar landing team, where they apply what they've learned to plan a government, create a money system, develop food and write reports, Beazley said.

Part of that work could be done on a large "Smart Board," an interactive screen that works like a computer.

Teachers can create a lesson plan, then download it onto their Web site and save it. Students can draw around parts of speech with their fingers, and music teachers can compose as students watch.

Standing amid unpacked boxes, Beazley acknowledged Wednesday that there still is work to be done when students arrive today.

"They can help us put things away," he said. "That will give them ownership of their new school."

CAPTION: Principal Skot Beazley acknowledges that Sonoran Trails Middle School, distinguished by team teaching, still has work to be done.

Nearly 720 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders are expected at the $15 million school at 56th Street and Pinnacle Vista Drive.

Students will be taught in teams, use an interactive Smart Board to do their lessons, attend classes on shady patios and watch a ballgame from a grassy incline.

"That's like stadium seating at a professional ball park," said Kent Frison, operations and finance director for the Cave Creek Unified School District.

The new school replaces the old Sonoran Trails Middle School, about eight miles north at the district's main campus, 60th Street and the Carefree Highway. That school and others are being used to help ease crowding at Cactus Shadows High School until a new high school opens as early as 2009.



Sonoran Trails' details

What makes the new school safe? How much might it cost to move power lines? Stories, Page S2

CAPTION: 1.-2. Student store manager Mary Colantone (above) delivers supplies to a classroom at the new Sonoran Trails Middle School. Carol Sinai, an assistant math teacher, sorts through class items ahead of the first day of school today.

The editorial in the Scottsdale Republic about the transmission lines near Sonoran Trails Middle School near 56th Street and Jomax Road in the Cave Creek Unified School District ("Sometimes truth is in the eye of the beholder," Saturday) skirts the research on the health risks.

There were 42 residential and 54 occupational studies with respect to leukemia and electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure published between 1979 and 2004. A majority of the studies report an increased rate of leukemia associated with exposure to EMF. That data is firm justification for spurring our community to take precautionary actions to limit our children's exposure. The World Health Organization and the Environmental Protection Agency agree. They recommend that schools be kept away from power lines.

The editorial takes the position that no action is needed because scientists can't prove EMF causes cancer, but it ignores the preponderance of evidence that indicates there's an increased rate of leukemia. The weight of the evidence trumps the uncertainty factor. The prudent choice is for the school district to take action so that our children's health isn't put at risk from the wires.

The board should be applauded for its efforts. The members are working to protect our children. They deserve to be safe.

Yes, the fix will cost. But not fixing will cost more: For every child who gets leukemia, it costs about $900,000 to treat the disease with no recurrence. One child in 10,000 gets it from "whatever." If you have a two- to fourfold increase, then an additional two, three or four children per 10,000 come down with the disease. That doesn't take into account the general ill health, immune system dysfunction and other possible cancers, like brain tumors. That makes the fix cost look positively reasonable.

Taking no action turns our 700 children into involuntary cancer study subjects. Do we need to wait and see that in 10 to 20 years the outcome of a two- to fourfold increase in their cancer rates matches what's indicated by current studies? No.

Other states and countries have laws that push schools away from transmission lines. The California Department of Education has established mandatory setbacks and buffer zones from power lines. The department also requires that site and building designs ensure low-EMF environments in new schools. Arizona needs the same.

Let's fix the problem at Sonoran Trails Middle School and then call upon our state Legislature to help prevent future schools from needlessly being built too close to power lines.



Rees Candee is a Scottsdale resident.

Not only do we have transmission lines nearby, we also have a microwave tower on the school grounds, with dishes aimed toward the school buildings.

There have been numerous independent studies published throughout Europe, Asia and the United States that link electromagnetic field (EMF) and electromagnetic radiation (EMR) exposure to cancer in children. In the United Kingdom, the government has urged children under 16 not to use cellphones. In most of Europe, cellphone towers cannot be located near schools.

In the U.S., more than 100 physicians and scientists at Harvard University's and Boston University's Schools of Public Health have called cellular towers a radiation hazard. They've declared them a "public health emergency."

Unfortunately, the Scottsdale Unified School District and our school completely dismiss the dangers and refer to the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC is in charge of setting the standards of exposure for the public and claims, based on scientific studies, that the current levels are safe. But the FCC isn't a public health agency, and it has been criticized as being an "arm" of the industry.

Many who work for the FCC are either past, present or future employees of the very industries they're supposed to regulate. With an explosively emergent $40 billion a year industry at stake, critics have stated, "You can bet that their studies are going to show whatever they want them to show."

I would add: Does anyone really trust anything that comes out of our government anymore and believe that it acts in our best interests?

David

Bonfield

David Bonfield is a Scottsdale resident.

Javier Ledesma, Cave Creek Unified School Board president, wanted to know Tuesday how spending the money on moving lines "would affect children at their desks."

Kent Frison, who oversees Cave Creek's school spending, said the money would build 20 new classrooms.

The School Board has been struggling with that dilemma since early spring when Rees Candee, a filmmaker and parent, warned board members that emissions from the lines could cause leukemia and other cancers in children.

Officials from the Western Area Power Authority, the federal agency that built the three 59-year-old lines near Sonoran Trails Middle School, said they would need a decision by Sept. 30.

Gary Lachvayder, WAPA's project manager, said in an interview that the work would have to be funded by early October to give him time to put the job out to bids, order materials and get the work done by May.

Federal and other authorities say there is no definite link between the lines' electromagnetic fields and cancer. But Candee has presented studies from international health organizations blaming emissions for a range of ailments such as brain tumors and other cancers.

He has said the danger comes from "duration and dose."

WAPA's three lines are 87 feet from Sonoran Trail's multipurpose room. Arizona Public Service has a single line just 21 feet from the campus.

One of WAPA's plans would push its lines 160 feet from the campus, but keep them in the school's parking lot at 56th Street and Pinnacle Vista Drive for a cost of $1,109,000. That option would not require the district to buy land for relocation.

The other choice would move the lines 200 feet from the school to private property east of 56th Street for $1,160,000,not including the cost of land.

APS offered two similar plans, each for about $200,000.

Candee has urged the School Board to follow standards set by California, the only state to regulate the location of power lines near schools. Either option would comply with that law.

Javier Ledesma, Cave Creek Unified School Board president, asked at a recent meeting how spending the money on moving lines "would affect children at their desks."

Kent Frison, who oversees Cave Creek's school spending, said the money would build 20 new classrooms.

The School Board has been struggling with that dilemma since early spring when Rees Candee, a filmmaker and parent, warned board members that emissions from the lines could cause leukemia and other cancers in children.

Officials from the Western Area Power Authority, the federal agency that built the three 59-year-old lines near Sonoran Trails Middle School, said they need a decision by Sept. 30.

Gary Lachvayder, WAPA's project manager, said in an interview that the work would have to be funded by early October to give him time to put the job out to bids, order materials and get the work done by May.

Federal and other authorities say there is no definite link between the lines' electromagnetic fields and cancer. But Candee has presented studies from international organizations blaming emissions for a range of ailments such as brain tumors and other cancers.

WAPA's three lines are 87 feet from Sonoran Trail's multipurpose room. Arizona Public Service has a single line 21 feet from the campus.

One of WAPA's plans would push its lines 160 feet from the campus but keep them in the school's parking lot at 56th Street and Pinnacle Vista Drive for a cost of $1,109,000. That option would not require the district to buy land for relocation.

The other choice would move the lines 200 feet from the school to private property east of 56th Street for $1,160,000,not including the cost of land.

A version of this story may have appeared in your community section or your community Republic.

After hearing from parents Tuesday night about possible health hazards, Cave Creek Unified School District governing board members said they may postpone a decision on spending $1.4 million to move the lines strung across the school's parking lot.

The board is scheduled to consider the item Sept. 26. It has a Sept. 30 deadline to make a decision if the lines are to be moved by May.

On Tuesday night, some parents scoffed at claims that high-power lines could cause cancer and other diseases in their children.

But others told the school board that the cost of moving the lines would be a small price to pay to protect children.

Studies differ on whether electromagnetic fields from high-voltage lines cause leukemia, brain cancer and other diseases. The issue is further complicated because there are no state or federal standards regulating power-line emissions.

But Al Paciora of Scottsdale says he is convinced "that these lines are dangerous."

Paciora said growing up 100 yards from high-voltage lines near Chicago proved to him that EMFs are deadly. He blames power lines for his mother's recent death from Lou Gehrig's disease.

He said if the lines are not moved further from the school, he might remove his two children. His wife also works at Sonoran Trails.

The school board has debated the lines' removal for months and has presented studies about the strength of their emissions. But few parents turned up.

Now with a looming Sept. 30 deadline to decide whether the lines will be moved, the district notified parents, urging them to come to Tuesday's meeting.

"This is a very emotional issue," Javier Ledesma, board president, told parents after the meeting. "We listened to you with an open mind and were seeking input before a decision is made."

Dawn Olson of Tatum Ranch, whose son attends Sonoran Trails, told board members that the district policy of "the safety of children first" requires them to move the lines.

Clay Carpenter, whose three children would attend Sonoran Trails, at 56th Street and Pinnacle Vista Drive, agreed.

"You have the power to make that change," he told the board. "Please make that decision."

But Lonnie Wilbanks, who lives in the district and works with power lines, urged the board "not to pay money to move the lines," adding that studies about their harmful effects are "inconsistent and contradictory."

Barbara Moroney of Scottsdale told the board that the lines pose " a low risk." She added that the $1.4 million to move them is like "giving away money needed by the school for other projects."

School officials have said the money could be spent on construction, buses and other expenses.

The Western Area Power Administration, which built the lines 59 year ago, told the district that it needs to decide by Sept. 30 if they are to be moved by May.

The power authority's lines are 87 feet from campus but would be pushed back 160 feet if the board approves.

"It would be set a precedent," said Dennis Roehler, Cave Creek district's director of facilities and new construction.

After months of debate and $27,000 in studies, the school board could decide tonight to spend $1.4 million in bond money to move lines owned by Arizona Public Service and the federal Western Area Power Administration. Both lines run parallel across the main parking lot at Sonoran Trails Middle School, 56th Street and Pinnacle Vista Drive.

If the board delays a vote on moving the lines, they will miss a Sept. 30 deadline to get the work done by May.

Some parents say $1.4 million is a small price for children's safety. Others say the money would be better spent on classrooms and other campus improvements.

Although Javier Ledesma, school board president, has said he isn't convinced electromagnetic emissions, or EMFs cause illness, he voted with other members to spend $7,000 to test EMF strength in school buildings and another $20,000 to study the feasibility of moving the lines.

Rees Candee a Cave Creek filmmaker, who will not let his daughter attend Sonoran Trails, ignited the emotional anti-power line debate last spring.

He showed presented school board members with studies from the World Health Organization and the International Agency for Cancer Research linking childhood leukemia to exposure to the lines' electromagnetic fields.

But other health and federal agencies say power lines pose less risk of EMF exposure than microwaves.

Damon Gross, a spokesman for Arizona Public Service, which owns the 69,000-volt lines near Sonoran Trails, said it is common for those lower voltage lines to be near schools.

He said he knows of no other school district considering moving power lines.

The federal agency's s 59-year-old lines are 87 feet from campus. APS lines are 21 feet away. Both utilities propose moving them at least 160-feet from campus, but they would remain in the parking lot.

The added distance from campus would reduce EMF exposure. But the debate is complicated by the fact that there are no federal or state standards for EMFs.

David Peterson, who oversees facilities for the Scottsdale Unified School District, said a few parents of Sequoya Elementary School at 11808 N. 64th Street, questioned the presence of power lines near that campus about a year ago.

But Peterson said they were satisfied after tests showed that classroom EMF levels were less than those emitted by a copy machine, or a blender.

Over the past several months, district officials have spent more than $30,000 on testing and pored over conflicting reports about the dangers of electromagnetic fields from power lines laced across the parking lot at Sonoran Trails Middle School.

But in the end, four board members said evidence linking the lines to childhood leukemia or other diseases is too weak to spend $1.4 million that could be used for classrooms or improvements.

If Tuesday's vote had gone the other way, the Cave Creek school board would have been the only one in the Valley to spend taxpayer money to move power lines.

Lisa Doche, who cast the lone dissenting vote, warned the board that it might face lawsuits for refusing to move the lines.

But board President Javier Ledesma said, "I will not be held hostage by the threat of lawsuits."

"Our kids," he added, "are constantly exposed to EMFs," suggesting that it would be difficult to pinpoint why a child was stricken with cancer or other diseases.

"The data is inconclusive," he said. "I lost a brother to leukemia. No one knows why."

Other board members were torn over the vote.

"This has been eating at me for weeks," said board member Mark Warren. "I don't want to risk kids' health, but the data is all over the map. I'm voting with a heavy heart to support the administration recommendation."

Superintendent Tacy Ashby recommended that the board not spend the money to move the power lines.

Board member Stephanie Reese said she voted no in part because most of the parents she talked to wanted the $1.4 million to be spent for classrooms and improvements to other campuses.

The board was drawn into the debate over the health risks posed by power lines by Rees Candee, a Cave Creek resident who withdrew his daughter from the school. Over the months, he attracted a growing group of parents.

Candee had presented information from the World Health Organization and other health groups that cited cases of childhood leukemia from EMF exposure.

But those reports were countered by studies from federal agencies and experts who contend that common household appliances like dryers and blenders emit more EMFs than power lines.

Candee called the "no" vote a "black eye for the district. This (issue) is going to continue to fester."

Board member Marvin Christiansen acknowledged that EMF exposure might cause a health risk. "But it doesn't warrant the expenditure of $1.4 million," he said.

A version of this story may have appeared in your community section or your community Republic.

CAPTION: The Cave Creek Unified School District's Governing Board was drawn into the debate over the health risks posed by power lines when Cave Creek resident Rees Candee expressed his concerns.

Over the past several months, district officials have spent more than $30,000 on testing and pored over conflicting reports about the dangers of electromagnetic fields from power lines laced across the parking lot at Sonoran Trails Middle School.

But in the end, four board members said evidence linking the lines to childhood leukemia or other diseases is too weak to spend $1.4 million that could be used for classrooms or other school improvements.

If the vote had gone the other way, the Cave Creek school board would have been the only one in the Valley to spend taxpayer money to move power lines.

Lisa Doche, the single dissenter, warned the board that it might face lawsuits for refusing to move the lines.

Tuesday's roll call vote was quick, but emotional.

"This has been eating at me for weeks," board member Mark Warren said. "I don't want to risk kids' health, but the data is all over the map.

"I'm voting with a heavy heart to support the administration recommendation."

Before the vote, Superintendent Tacy Ashby recommended that the board not spend the money to move the power lines.

"Countless staff hours and funds in excess of $30,000 have been spent on studies," she said, "And still there is uncertainty."

The board was drawn into the long simmering debate over the health risks of power lines by Rees Candee, a Cave Creek resident who did not let his daughter attend the school, , fearing she would become ill from exposure to electromagnetic fields. Over the months, he attracted a growing group of parents, some of whom also threatened to remove their children from the school at 56th Street and Pinnacle Vista Drive if the lines weren't moved.

Candee mounted his anti-power line campaign by presenting the board with information from the World Health Organization and other respected health groups that linked cases of childhood leukemia to EMF exposure.

But those reports were countered by studies from federal agencies and others who contend that common household appliances like dryers and blenders emit more EMFs than power lines.

Candee called the "no" vote a "black eye for the district.

"This is going to continue to fester.

"They acknowledge that it is a great concern to them, but they are not dealing with it."

But the Legislature might, stepping in to set standards for EMF emissions, which aren't regulated by federal or state governments.

Persistent, Candee has stirred the interest of some state lawmakers.

Rep. Carolyn Allen, a Republican in District 8, said in a separate interview that she would look into the EMF controversy if she wins her bid for a Senate seat in November.

The possibility of legislative action concerned board member Stephanie Reese.

The district, she said, could spend $1.4 million to move the lines 160 feet farther from campus, but then learn that a new state law would require them to be pushed back even further.

Warren also was concerned.

"Should the Legislature take this thing and run with it," he said, "we could be shoving $1.4 million right down the drain."

Reese also said she voted against moving the lines because most of the parents she talked to said the money should be spent to renovate older campuses or make other school improvements.

Board member Marvin Christiansen acknowledged that the decision might cause a risk.

"But it doesn't warrant the expenditure of $1.5 million."

But Doche spun that argument around.

"To me," she said, "inconclusive means there is a possibility. I don't want to take that risk with a life."

She warned that the decision could spawn lawsuits against the district.

"We are at risk in this litigious society we live in," she said. "We will all be back up here trying to defend or settle lawsuits of more than $1.4 million."

But Javier Ledesma, board president, said, "I will not be held hostage by the threat of lawsuits."

"Our kids," he added, "are constantly exposed to EMFs," suggesting that it would be difficult to pinpoint why a child was stricken with cancer or other diseases.

"I lost a brother to leukemia," he said. "No one knows why."

He voted no, he said, because "the data is inconclusive."

Keep bogeyman under bed

Give the Cave Creek school board credit for a jolt of common sense.

The board voted 4-1 not to waste $1.4 million moving high-voltage power lines away from the new Sonoran Trails Middle School.

The issue has festered for months since a lone parent, Rees Candee, asked that the lines be moved. In a culture that loves conspiracy theories, he attracted the support of other parents.

Candee presented reports from the World Health Organization that linked childhood leukemia with electromagnetic fields. High-voltage lines generate EMFs. So do cellphones and household appliances.

The district spent $30,000 -- a teacher's salary -- on testing and research into a multitude of conflicting studies before concluding, "Who knows?"

In some instances, "who knows?" can justify a modest expenditure that errs on the side of caution. But $1.4 million to move power lines 160 feet?

That's a lot of money when there's no indisputable proof it would prevent a single case of leukemia.

That's a lot of money when there's no assurance the Legislature wouldn't slap regulations on power lines, possibly ordering them moved a greater distance.

It's a lot of money when Cave Creek, like all school districts, has so many places it could spend $1.4 million with no question it would help children for decades.

Candee called the board's vote a "black eye for the district." To the contrary, it was a shining moment for rational decision making -- and banishing the bogeyman under the bed.

I wonder if those people think about the electromagnetic fields when they have their cell phones pressed next to their brains?

-- Larry Lacoursiere

Peoria

Last week, about 50 parents, who now say they fear their children could be harmed by power line emissions, met at Desert Broom Public Library in northeast Phoenix to rally against the vote. Eighteen hours after the meeting, parents had collected 200petition signatures exhorting the Cave Creek Unified School District to hold onto the $1.4 million until the school board re-examines the issue.

The sudden interest in power lines by previously silent parents surprised some Sonoran Trails Middle School officials. But parents say they didn't know about the controversy or assumed from media coverage that the lines would be moved.

Some parents vow they will not allow their children to attend Sonoran Trails, 56th Street and Pinnacle Vista.

"This is a no-brainer," Susanne Oakley said. "I would not want to put my child or children in harm's way."

Meanwhile, Superintendent Tacy A