T-Mobile Returns For Third Hearing On Cell Tower

Representatives will be back in front of the Board of Adjustment for a third time Tuesday to discuss an application for a T-Mobile cell tower at the Green Knoll Volunteer Fire Co. on North Bridge Street.

The third hearing will be held at the municipal courtroom at 7:30 p.m.

The application, which was initially presented to the board Aug. 3, is for a 125-foot flagpole tower adjacent to the fire company, with six directional antennas and two GPS antennas, all hidden within the tower. The pole would be surrounded by an eight-foot high fence to shield the equipment from view.

At the Aug. 31 meeting, the board heard from engineer Gregory Nowak, who discussed specific details of the proposed tower and outlined the building plans.

Nowak said three of the antennas will be 120 feet above grade, while the other three will be 110 feet above grade. The two GPS antennas will be 30 feet above grade.

T-Mobile is also looking to put a utility light in the fenced-in area around the pole to provide lighting for technicians who will be visiting the site.

There is also planned to be a flag on the pole, but, because a design has not been outlined yet, that plan could still change.

Nowak also agreed to have several new studies ready for Tuesday's meeting, including a noise study and a look at all lighting options.

More than 100 residents attended the Aug. 31 meeting, and questioned how much noise the tower would yield, as well as how the lighting could disrupt the nearby neighborhood.

But for the most part, residents at the meeting questioned the dangers of exposure to radiation from the tower, which would be situated in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

The applicant has said that the radio frequency levels from the pole being proposed would be at 0.06 percent, which is 1,500 times lower than the Federal Communication Commission's safety concerns for exposure to radiation.

Some residents questioned the long-term exposure after Pinnacle Telecom Group's health and safety expert, Daniel Collins, said the level of radiation being emitted from the tower is less than what comes from people hugging.

Those who spoke out also asked what could happen if the FCC's standard changes or is lowered in the future, and said that other countries allow for a much lower level to be emitted than the United States does.

Collins maintained throughout the hearing that the level being emitted by the tower would be perfectly safe, and much more so than what is emitted by common household appliances.

But with signs protesting the tower, some residents said that, with those statistics, they do not want to add to their exposure.