RSS 2.0 FeedJuly 22, 2010, Merrick Life
Cell tower plan on hold
The Town of Hempstead’s zoning Board of Appeals has postponed its hearing on two applications by T-Mobile to install wireless equipment in North Bellmore and Wantagh.
The Town of Hempstead’s zoning Board of Appeals has postponed its hearing on two applications by T-Mobile to install wireless equipment in North Bellmore and Wantagh. Meanwhile here in Merrick, local activists, spearheaded by Moms of Merrick/Bellmore Speak Out (MOMS) with attorney Andrew Campanelli and civic leaders in the Telecommunications Taskforce, are moving forward in their efforts to curtail the ever increasing number of wireless equipment popping up in residential neighborhoods, near schools and playgrounds. There is an ongoing debate over the health risks from electromagnetic fields. Industry experts say there is no danger. The 1996 Telecommunications Act takes the same position. However, residents remain skeptical.
Meeting dates
The North Bellmore application was rescheduled to Wednesday, September 15. The Wantagh application was rescheduled for October 6. Both hearings will begin at 2 p.m. at the Town of Hempstead’s Town Hall in Hempstead. On Tuesday, August 16, a tentative meeting is scheduled by MOMS and the Telecommunications Taskforce to review their plan of action. Wantagh residents have been invited to that meeting as well. No further details were available at press time.
Board of Appeals hearing
On July 14, the Board of Appeals voted to hold off reviewing the applications until the town has finished drafting a new telecommunications ordinance that could keep the equipment away from schools and residents when possible. The town has hired Richard Cumi of Telecom Sol to help draft the municipal code. Town spokesperson Susie Pokasky said that once the code is drafted, a public hearing will be held at a town hall meeting. No date has been set at this time. “I am very pleased to see that the Town of Hempstead recognized its responsibility to protect its citizens and is now writing new code to address these concerns and Senator [Charles] Fuschillo for looking into better locations on state property,” Claudia Borecky, a member of the Telecommunications Taskforce and president of the North Merrick Community Association, wrote in an e-mail. “I am happy to see our state, county and town government working together in a bipartisan manner to address this problem.” Ms. Borecky also thanked county Legislator David Denenberg for his hard work and advocacy on behalf of residents.
T-Mobile in North Bellmore
T-Mobile had placed an application to install six wireless communication antennas concealed inside a proposed 100-foot high monopole and equipment cabinets on the ground of 847 Newbridge Road, land owned by the North Bellmore Fire Department, Engine Company 2 at Columbus Avenue, across from East Meadow Avenue. A meeting was held on June 30, at the North Bellmore Fire Department to encourage residents to learn more about the project. T-Mobile representatives did not show up, but “Senior Deputy Town attorney Charles Kovit told residents that a consultant would look over the application to see if T-Mobile did everything it could to find a better location for its equipment,” wrote Claudia Borecky in an e-mail. The Telecommunications Taskforce, which represents residents in Bellmore and Merrick, is trying to curtail the placement of wireless equipment near schools and residences. Although some residents have voiced concern over the proposed project in North Bellmore, Reinaldo Nunez, president of the North Bellmore Civic Association, has no objection to the project. “We already have [wireless equipment] on Newbridge Road. It is better than a tower closer to a school,” said Mr. Nunez. “It’s either there or another place that’s more visible.”
T-Mobile’s application in Wantagh
T-Mobile’s application has drawn considerable community ire in Wantagh, where neighbors are opposed to the proposal to build six antennae on the roof of the Farmingdale-Wantagh Jewish Center on Woodbine Avenue in Wantagh, in the center of a residential community. At a meeting on July 7, over 100 residents made it clear they didn’t want the cell antennae in their neighborhood. On July 18 the community turned out again for a demonstration outside the temple. Wantagh resident Pam Dempsey told our sister paper The Citizen that there are already 194 antennae and 14 towers in the Wantagh-Seaford vicinity, including one right by the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway at Sunrise Highway. Wantagh Woods residents are now ready to join forces with their neighbors in the Bellmores and Merricks.
MOMS and the Telecommunications
Taskforce MOMS was formed earlier this year to address the growing number of cell antennae near homes and schools. Its mission is to create a cell antenna free zone around school and homes by more strictly regulating the place of future cell antennae, not only in Merrick and Bellmore or even Long Island but nationwide. They are joining forces with the Telecommunications Taskforce that includes Claudia Borecky of the North Merrick Community Association, Joe Baker of the South Merrick Civic Association, Derek Donnelly of the Merrick Gables and Ira Harris of the East Bay Civic Association. This group has been working for close to a year on cell antennae placement just after the first DAS systems appeared in Merrick. Attorney Andrew Campanelli, of Merrick, is lending his expertise as a federal commercial civil rights attorney. He is in litigation with the cell companies that placed almost 50 towers a few feet from the Bayville elementary school, where it is alleged that 30 percent of the staff have serious health issues including cancer. These organizations have reached out to the residents in Wantagh and will hold a UNITE meeting to tackle the issue, hoping that there is strength in numbers.
T-Mobile looks at another site
T-Mobile has also approached the North Merrick Library about erecting a 50-foot flagpole cell tower to replace the flagpole that stands in front of the library. The North Merrick Civic Association has asked if T-Mobile is willing to install the tower on the Meadowbrook Parkway instead of the library. They are also conducting a survey to find out how the community feels about the proposed project. “We want to project a true representation of the concerns of not only the nearby residents who are directly affected by this proposal but also North Merrick residents who patronize the library. The survey also offers the opportunity to voice your concerns regarding alternative sites and solutions for some of the cell antennae on our utility poles,” Ms. Borecky wrote in an e-mail. If you’d like to participate in the survey, you can visit www.northmerrickcivic.org/cell-flag-pole-at-north-merrick-library.html.