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Municipal land available for ‘cell technology’
(by Megan Burrow - May 13, 2008)
The council passed a resolution Monday night making municipal land available for “cellular technology.”
In a separate resolution, the council approved the hiring of Richard Comi, a private consultant with the Center for Municipal Solutions. Comi’s firm has advised hundreds of municipalities struggling to navigate the complex maze of federal and state laws concerning cell towers. He will provide his expertise on the various cellular technologies available and make his recommendations to the council.
The available options for the council to consider include: a traditional cell tower, “stealth technology,” which conceals the antennas, or a distributed antenna system, made up of several small nodes which can be placed on electrical poles. At the May 5 council meeting, Comi estimated the township would need 15 or 20 nodes for adequate coverage.
The resolution came after weeks of lively debate over how best to respond to the cell companies wanting to build a tower in the township to cover what they claim are gaps in service.
Cingular currently has an application pending with the zoning board to erect a tower at the racket club on Pascack Road.
Over the past few weeks many concerned residents implored the council to take action and make municipal land available, contending that allowing a tower to go up in a residential zone would be a grave mistake.
Several residents who live near borough hall spoke of their worries a tower would now be placed at the municipal building.
In response to concerns over the impact a cell tower might have on property values, Council President Joseph Giardina said the council would keep in mind aesthetics when making the decision. “We are looking to disguise it as much as possible,” he said.
Giardina stressed that no decision on the siting of the cell technology has been made and all available municipal land will be considered.
The council will have 90 days to make a decision on the specific site and technology, and will then go out to bid on the specifications. Whatever choice the council makes, the decision will have to address the gap in service the cellular companies are seeking to correct.
Megan Burrow's e-mail address is burrow@northjersey.com.
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