By Anthony Bottan
At a meeting at the Franklin Square Library, more than 70 people called on Omnipoint Communications Inc. officials to scrap their plan to erect a cell tower in the Franklin Bridge shopping center on Dogwood Avenue. Omnipoint proposed the construction of the cell phone tower earlier this year, saying it would improve service for T-Mobile users in the area.
Ron Lipsky, leader of the residents fighting Omnipoint, told them that the best approach to fighting the tower is to prove to the Board of Zoning Appeals that it would decrease property values, and that there is no gap in service in that area, as Omnipoint officials claim. Lipsky urged residents to work together to find alternative sites for the tower, preferably in Franklin Square's industrial area. Ideally, he said, the tower should be located in the same area where other companies have built their towers.
Since Omnipoint is governed by the federal Telecommunications Act, it must establish a "need," which means proving that the tower is necessary to provide better service, that it would remedy a gap in service and that it is the least intrusive alternative. The proposed tower would stand 65 feet high, nearly three times the height of the largest building in Franklin Square.
"It will be 40 feet higher than any other building in Franklin Square - that's an eyesore," said Joel Cohen, 56, a Franklin Square resident for more than 35 years. "Dogwood Avenue is Main Street USA for us. It's outrageous."
Lipsky urged residents to sign a petition and make phone calls to the landlords of the shopping center, Umberto and Anna Polsinelli, who signed a lease with the communications company. Lipsky even proposed a boycott of T-Mobile, which owns Omnipoint, as well as a protest in the shopping center in hopes of gaining some media attention. Anna Polsinelli declined comment.
This is not the first case in which a communications company has attempted to build a cell tower in the area and residents have objected. Garden City South residents defeated Omnipoint's attempt to install antennas on the West Hempstead Water District Tower last year by hiring experts to present their case to the water district's Board of Commissioners.
Lipsky contacted several experts, including a lawyer with experience in cell tower matters, a landscape architect and a radio frequency engineer. A landscape architect, which, Lipsky told residents, is the primary expert needed, could offer testimony on the aesthetic facets of their case, while a radio frequency engineer could help prove that there is not a gap in service in the area where Omnipoint wishes to build.
However, each of the experts that helped Garden City South win its case require a fee of $5,000 for their services, which some Franklin Square residents are hesitant to pay. Some suggested a car wash or a picnic as possible fund-raisers, while others even considered going door to door asking for donations.
Though the perceived health risks concern many residents, they appear to be outweighed by the risk of having their homes devalued because of the tower. "My house is my biggest investment, and I can't take a risk like that," resident Gene Sullivan said.
The Board of Zoning Appeals will meet on Sept. 28 to determine the fate of the Omnipoint cell tower construction.
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