Western Springs Reveals 5G Application

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL — A company that works with telecommunications giants wants to install "a small wireless facility on an existing wood utility pole" in Western Springs, the village says. This is part of the development of a 5G network, which is the next generation of cellphone technology. Residents, however, fear 5G towers will adversely affect their health.

Houston-based Crown Castle submitted its application to the village Nov. 22. In response to questioning at last week's Village Board meeting, officials said a company had submitted an application for a 5G tower. A couple days later, the village posted portions of the application to its website.

As of late last week, neighboring Hinsdale had yet to receive a 5G tower application yet. Residents in both towns fear the microwave radiation from the towers could cause a variety of health problems. They have formed a Facebook group, and leaders from both villages are pushing the state to give greater local control over the placement of towers.

In a letter to Western Springs, Crown Castle, which has an office in Lombard, said it understands the village has 90 days to review the application. The village's lawyer said at last week's meeting the application was incomplete and "won't be moving forward."

In a brief interview Monday, Drew Parker, the Crown Castle executive who signed the letter, said the company sets up wireless facilities and leases them for use by bigger companies. The placement of the facilities, he said, depends on customer demand, "where customers are looking to improve coverage." The estimated cost of the project in Western Springs is $15,000.

Patch submitted a public records request for the application last week, but the village declined to provide parts of it, noting proprietary information is exempt from the state's public records law.

In a Dec. 5 email obtained through the records request, Parker asked the village for an update on the application.

Five days later, Martin Scott, the village's community development director, responded, "We are reviewing the submittal at the staff level and with legal counsel and will respond soon."

In an interview Monday, Scott said the location of the cell tower is unclear to the village. Crown Castle provided an address, he said, but the village was unable to find it on its maps.

Village Manager Ingrid Velkma said the village is still reviewing the application and will keep residents informed.

In October, Western Springs Village President Alice Gallagher wrote a letter to state lawmakers, saying her village seeks local authority on the deployment of 5G equipment.

"Understandably, many of our residents worry that the increase of radio frequency emissions will negatively impact public health," she said in the letter. "We have done some research on our end to identify potential risks, but have not found reliable data that answers the specific questions."

According to the village, Gallagher, two village trustees and the village manager recently traveled to a regional conference in Washington to reiterate concerns about 5G to federal representatives.