Trygve Bolken and his family could soon live directly behind a proposed Verizon cell tower in northeast Bend. In its planned location, the tower will be so close that it’ll stare Bolken right in the face from a second-story bedroom on NE Jill Court.

Although Bolken, who lives with his spouse and his 10-year-old daughter, said he’s not happy about the aesthetics of living in the shadow of a 50-foot cell tower, he’s most concerned about the radiation that he believes could accompany it.

“Seventy years ago, smoking wasn’t really considered hazardous, and over time, we’ve realized it’s terrible for you,” he said. “That’s exactly how I feel about these towers.”

Bolken and other residents of his Mountain View neighborhood , including the head of Trinity Lutheran School, are upset at the proposed placement of the tower near homes and across the street from the private Christian school.

The proposed tower, designed to look like a large tree, will stand 60 feet tall, with fake foliage adding height. It will be built in a 0.58 acre of property next to a Chevron gas station and a couple businesses at the corner of NE 27th Street and NE Butler Market Road.

Verizon has not yet submitted a formal application for the proposed tower. A neighborhood association open house, held Tuesday at Mountain View High School, is required before an application is submitted, according to city documents.

Experts say there’s no evidence that cell towers cause health issues.

Gretchen Groves, spokesperson for the Oregon branch of the American Cancer Society, told The Bulletin in July that although high levels of radio frequency waves can heat up body tissue, the level of radio waves used by cellphones and towers is much lower.

The leader of Trinity Lutheran School — which teaches 305 students from preschool through 12th grade — said he would prefer that Verizon build its cell tower farther away from homes and schools.

“It seems like a business area would be much more acceptable to people than a residential area,” said Gregg Pinick, executive director and head of schools for Trinity Lutheran School.

Pinick told his school’s parents about the proposed tower after he heard about it this fall and encouraged them to attend the open house Tuesday , where Verizon representatives were present.

“My focus is on the concern for my families and our children,” Pinick said before the Tuesday meeting. “I want to keep them informed of what’s going on.”

Community concerns echo a similar situation last summer, when a group of concerned parents were upset by an under-construction cell tower near Elk Meadow Elementary in southwest Bend.

Bolken, whose daughter attends fourth grade at Trinity Lutheran, said he was still concerned about radiation despite reading industry experts who said otherwise. He added that more research should be done on the health effects of cell towers.

“Down the road, I think we’re going to find out that the radiation from these towers is going to be harmful,” he said.

Not everyone in the area is concerned about the proposed cell tower. Eric Priller’s business, Trigger Happy Guns, is right next to the tower’s planned location. He said he didn’t have a problem with it.

“I’m OK with it, if it’s not hurting anybody and we’re getting better reception,” Priller said.

Colleen DeShazer, a Verizon network engineering manager, said the tower was needed in this specific location.

“It’s not like we threw a dart on the board and said, let’s go here.”