A call for better cell coverage in Lynbrook

The Lynbrook village board is currently reviewing a T-Mobile special use application to install several cell antennas on the rooftop of a local commercial space on the corner of Sunrise Highway and Rogers Avenue.

John Huber, a zoning, land use and litigation attorney at the Re, Nielsen, Huber & Coughlin, LLP firm in Suffolk County, represented T-Mobile in a public hearing on Feb. 7 at Lynbrook’s village hall.

Huber detailed the cellular’s giant plan to erect nine concealed cell antennas and equipment cabinets at 875 Sunrise Highway, also known as the Sceptre Tours building. Six rooftop antennas were proposed in the building’s front or north side adjacent to Sunrise and three antennas are planned for the rear, south east corner of the building next to Scranton Avenue.

“Our design objective is to provide coverage, including in-building, which depends on the signal level,” Huber said. “As a commercial enterprise, T-Mobile operates within a predictable environment and they want to employ their network in an orderly fashion.”

T-Mobile initially filed their application in May 2008 with the village, according to Building Superintendent Brian Stanton. The county’s planning commission was also notified of the company’s request. The building, which was constructed in 1974 and is currently occupied by Sceptre Tours, was chosen by T-Mobile to contain the antennas after completing a detailed search of other possible sites in the local area, Huber noted.

Last year, village attorney Peter Ledwith said T-Mobile was asked to “upgrade the quality” of the application to obscure the antennas from public view. Officials not only worried about the visibility issue — health and safety concerns about radio emissions, the antenna’s possible height and preventing rescue workers from tripping over rooftop cables also caught their attention early. “We had to make sure the architect’s design meets the minimum New York State building codes and does not violate the village codes in regards to height observances and emissions,” Stanton said.