L&M Publications
Merrick Life • Bellmore Life • Freeport-Baldwin Leader • Wantagh-Seaford Citizen

About 100 angry residents crowded into the Wantagh Knights of Columbus hall last week to oppose six T-Mobile cell phone towers proposed to be built atop the Farmingdale-Wantagh Jewish Center, located in a completely residential area on Woodbine Avenue.

Many wearing T-shirts stating “Don’t ‘cell’ out on Wantagh,” their emotions were as heated as the 90-plus-degree July air

“A synagogue is supposed to be used for religious purposes. No property taxes are assessed on it because it improves the community. How the hell is this supposed to improve the community?” shouted Pam Dempsey, the leader of the neighborhood organization opposing the structures, whose home on Wagner Street sits directly behind the Jewish Center.

The Farmingdale-Wantagh Jewish Center reportedly will make $18,000 – $3,000 for each of the six wireless antennae – per month from the lease. Each antenna is 37 feet, 8 inches high from the ground up and will be disguised in boxes around the building’s existing chimney. No representatives of the Jewish Center were present at the meeting. 

The original purpose of the public forum was for T-Mobile’s attorneys to present descriptions and illustrations of the proposed site, and to supplement the legal notice sent on June 23 to residents within 100 feet of the site. The letter also notified residents of a July 14 public hearing before the Town of Hempstead Board of Zoning Appeals, which has been postponed.

Bill Bonesso, representing Forchelli, Curto, Deegan, Schwartz, Mineo, Cohn &Terrana, LLP, told the crowd that his goal was to put aside misinformation and explain T-Mobile’s request for a special exception from the Town of Hempstead Building Zone Ordinance, but his presentation never got beyond “We don’t think it will be unsightly.”

“Do you have a cell phone tower in  your backyard?” shouted an angry resident.

“We don’t want your slick presentation!” yelled another.

T-Mobile’s point of view

In a statement prepared for the media, T-Mobile’s senior manager for external affairs, Jane Builder, described the peace of mind that cell phone use brings. “Nowadays, 50% of children ages 6-18 say they’ve used their cell phones in an emergency. It’s no surprise really – half of all 911 calls are made from a wireless phone,” the statement reads, explaining that “it takes a robust network to successfully make all of those wireless connections.”

The statement continues, “We believe that our application for the Wantagh Jewish Center strikes the optimal balance between the needs of local wireless users and the interests of residents, many of whom rely on cell phones today to stay connected to friends, family and emergency services....We know that reliable cell coverage means improved safety and quality of life for everyone.”

According to Pam Dempsey, however, there are 194 antennae and 14 towers already in the vicinity, including one right by the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway at Sunrise Highway. 

Fear of health risks

Though the T-Mobile legal counsel said that the link between wireless technology and adverse health effects such as cancer are inconclusive, residents pointed out that links between smoking and cancer were also inconclusive 40 years ago. One audience member pointed to a lawsuit in Bayville linking cell phone towers with leukemia cases. Under the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1997, health effects do not constitute reasonable denial of a project such as this one. The World Health Organization  states that the levels of radiofrequency (RF) cause a slight increase in body temperature from exposure at very high field intensity, but levels of exposure from wireless networks are “so low that the temperature increases are insignificant and do not affect human health.”

Mrs. Dempsey countered that all wireless antenna installers are required to wear radiation monitors. “What do I tell my child when she comes home from school?” she asked. “Hi, honey, how was your day...here's your radiation monitor!” Saying that T-Mobile chose the least obtrusive spot possible for the project, Mr. Bonesso told Wantagh residents that the cell phone towers would cover a seven-block radius and provide 100% coverage. Angry residents pressed him to tell them how many actual customers were in that radius, but he could not answer. One T-Mobile user present said that she had no problem with her current service.  “I belong to another synagogue that has turned down cell phone towers time after time after time,” said one woman. “I understand that all religious institutions are hurting, but [Farmingdale-Wantagh Jewish Center] is being greedy.”

Not just in Wantagh This is not the first time the South Shore faced this issue. Merrick has been waging its own battle with MetroPCS and NextG for over a year.  County Legislator David Denenberg, who represents Merrick, knew well the feelings of residents threatened by cell phone companies encroaching on their property. “Whatever you go through, I will be with you every step of the way,” he said.  County Legislator Dennis Dunne, who represents the Wantagh area in question, was not present at the meeting and did not return phone calls residents made to him regarding this issue, they said. Mr. Denenberg said that the Town of Hempstead needed to come up with uniform zoning. Citing the Merrick example of boxes containing radio frequency antennas being placed on telephone poles right outside residents’ front doors, he called for “zoning that makes sense to all of us.”

Decreased property values In addition to health concerns, residents listed declining property value as another significant reason for opposition to the cell phone towers.  “When it comes time to sell our homes, we might as well tell people we're on a uranium field,” said one man.

Equally, if not more important, was the fact that the Jewish Center houses a nursery school with an outdoor playground. “We need a moratorium to keep parasites like these out of town. We don't want towers anywhere!” shouted one individual. Another suggested that the county issue a law that religious institutions lose their tax-exempt status in exchange for continuing capital revenue.

One woman, who had raised her hand all evening but never had a chance to speak, finally walked to the front of the room. “We are being dumped on,” she said, audibly holding back tears. “They lie to us and lie to us and lie to us. We’re not taking it anymore.”