Omnipoint wins approval for Ramtown cell tower
BY LARRY HLAVENKA JR.
Staff Writer

Howell

HOWELL - Despite passionate pleas from Ramtown residents, the zoning board has approved the construction of a 150-foot-tall telecommunications tower by Omnipoint Communications on the property of the Ramtown Fire Company, Ramtown-Greenville Road.

The board's vote was 6-1 in favor of the approval at a Nov. 13 meeting. Board members Steve Meier, Augustine Anfuso, John Armata, Charles Chirico, Wendell Nanson and Paul Sayah voted in favor of the application. Board member Michael Sanclimenti voted against the application.

Sanclimenti said he believes municipal ordinances protecting residents' quality of life supported his dissenting vote.

The board heard testimony on the application in Aug-ust and in October before voting to approve the cell tower last week.

According to the applicant, the construc-tion of the tower in Ramtown will help facilitate T-Mobile wireless telephone service and enhanced communication for the fire company. The Ramtown Fire Company will receive an undisclosed monthly payment in return for allowing the firm to build and operate the tower on its 1.5-acre property.

Project engineer Peter Tardy said the fenced-in compound, which will house the communications tower, will measure 24 by 42 feet. That is an increase from the previously announced size of 20 by 30 feet.

Although the application before the board remained specifically for the construction of the tower and T-Mobile service, Tardy said Verizon Wireless and Cingular Wireless may come before the board in the future with requests to add antennas to the tower.

At issue during the hearing were a variety of topics, including health, safety and quality of life concerns.

To satisfy a board request, the applicant attempted to locate other areas for the tower's placement, according to a radio frequency engineer, Daniel Penesso, who was retained by the applicant.

But, he said, "we would not fulfill our obligation to provide the coverage we need in the area" by placing the tower at another location or on nearby utility towers.

Penesso said finding the appropriate location for a communications tower is a tricky proposition since placing the structures too close together defeats the purpose of building them in the first place. The objective is to provide seamless coverage with no overlaps, Penesso said.

Penesso said that in the Ramtown area of Howell, coverage remains spotty at best. He described the construction of the tower as an obligation required by the government and T-Mobile's customers.

The board members also discussed the tower's so-called "fall zone" at length, for which the applicant sought a variance. The fall zone is the area around the tower that would be impacted if the tower came down.

Instead of granting the variance, the panel, and specifically Chirico, pushed for Omnipoint to move the tower within the compound to create a larger fall zone.

Ultimately, the tower was shifted 15 feet from the compound's western edge.

"Now there is 150 feet between the tower and buildings," Tardy said.

Regardless, should the tower topple over, Tardy said the structure is designed with three "fail points" where the tower is designed to break. Thus, a complete collapse of the tower remains highly unlikely, according to Tardy.

In addition to the Ramtown firehouse, an Elks Club lodge and the Quail Creek shopping center are both within 50 to 70 feet of the fire company's parcel, according to Anfuso, who chaired the hearing. He said the nearest home is 200 feet away.

As part of the tower's construction, three or four trees will be removed, Anfuso said. Members of the zoning board visited the site in October to better understand the area.

The applicant's attorney, Constan-tine Stamos, noted that residents will not be able to see the base of the tower from their homes since trees obstruct the view. Omni-point did not plan to provide any landscaping on-site for that reason.

Meier thought the suggestion was prudent.

"The less we have to block the view, the better, so anyone there can see someone going in," he said.

A condition of approval was made to include a mesh fabric material with small holes to be placed over the chain-link fence to prevent anyone from climbing into the compound.

The fence's gate and the equipment will remain locked. A remotely monitored security system will provide security, too, according to Stamos.

The board members discussed the idea of having the tower built to look like a tree, with brown paint and green branches. However, the panel ultimately determined that a 150-foot-tall tree would seem out of place. The tower will be painted gray.

Omnipoint is waiting to receive a letter of interpretation from the state Depart-ment of Environmental Protection (DEP) certifying that the tower will not infringe on nearby wetlands. Should the DEP find that wetlands are being encroached upon, the application would need to be revised.

Ramtown residents did not appreciate the prospect of a communications tower rising in their neighborhood.

Resident Frank Giannattasio said he did not believe the applicant adequately searched for other alternatives. The Omni-point representatives and board members disagreed with that assertion.

"Two alternatives are not alternatives," Giannattasio said. "That's my house, this is my life. There's got to be other alternatives than putting it in my backyard in a residential area. Not having cell phone reception is not a life-or-death situation."

Giannattasio feared his home would lose value because of the tower and even yelled at the board after the hearing was complete, asking, "Do you want to buy my house?"

"There are no other properties available to us; that's why we are here," Penesso said.

Resident Rob Hennings asked for an amicable compromise.

"Is there something else we can agree on for a win-win situation where the people are not pitted against the fire department and Omnipoint?" Hennings asked. "I don't think the 150-foot tower in that location wins for everybody. Once it goes in you will have a much more hostile community."

Anfuso said the board tried to create the most favorable result for the residents, but said the panel is bound by law.

"Believe me, I don't want to sit here and deal with hostile applications," he said.

Resident Jennifer Pupa expressed concerned about potential health risks which have not been proved or disproved by studies of communications towers.

"I would be remiss if I did not come here and address my concerns," she said. "With schools nearby, I fear there are potential health risks to our children. Do not give [health risks] a chance. Just because they haven't been proven yet does not mean they aren't real."

Ramtown Fire Company Capt. Bob Nichols has maintained that research indicates the fear of any health risks is unfounded.

"We feel confident this cell tower does not pose any health risk to us or our neighbors," Nichols said.

Nichols also said that despite having more people in town, support for the 40-person volunteer fire company has not grown proportionately. He said the communications tower will help serve the fire company, and in turn, its community, both financially and operationally.

Even so, Nicholas said, "Just as a reminder, the Ramtown Fire Company did not solicit a proposal from Omnipoint. Regardless of the [board's] decision, we will continue to serve our community as we have done for the last 55 years."

Ultimately, the communications tower application weighed on the minds of the board members.

Meier said, "This is probably one of the hardest decisions I have had to make."

In the end, the board members voted to approve the application with the aforementioned conditions.