STOP VERIZON CELL TOWER in MANALAPAN, NEW JERSEY

Dangers of the Unnecessary Manalapan Verizon Cell Tower Proposal:

OVERVIEW:

Verizon is proposing a 120-foot cell tower that will be open to future expansion. It will be located at 83 Millhurst Road in Manalapan. This area was purposely zoned Rural Agricultural; more specifically, in the existing ordinance and governance for this zone, it specifies, “CELL TOWERS ARE PROHIBITED.” The township in its foresight, wanted to preserve a rural vista for ourselves, our children and posterity with the future intent of creating surrounding nature paths, bicycle routes and walkways. They even have preserved the adjacent Cannon Hill farm, (house with red roof), and placed conservation easements on Prestige Tree farm, as well as preserving the Sigismondi farm. As a result, this forms a contiguous permanently preserved green zone that attaches to the Manalapan Recreational Center and 3 schools, and then crosses Main Street and attaches through another preserved farm to the Battlefield State Park. This magnificent township asset was no accident; the effort and costs involved were enormous, but the results exemplary. The township’s citizens and those governing wanted to protect this investment for future generations. To memorialize this, specifically and with no ambiguity, they put in the zoning ordinance that no cell towers were allowed.

This area and zone were further protected from cell towers by the town, when after 911, it put up its own emergency tower to protect its residents in case of emergency; thereby, negating the dependency on cell phone providers at times of crisis. There is no emergency need not being addressed that requires this cell tower. Further, even nonresident transient commuters are protected because the federal government legislated that all cell phones must provide 911 access. This means that if you do not have access to your provider, (in this case Verizon), and you dial 911, all cell towers receiving the signal must forward it regardless if the call is from their customer or not. Additionally, many cars are equipped with emergency communication services.

School buses constantly stop and pass through this intersection, which is one of the busiest intersections in Manalapan (Main Street, Millhurst Road and Woodward Road). More importantly, children and newborns are living within 150 feet of the proposed cell phone property and hundreds of children play and study in close proximity. Thousands of vehicles pass the proposed cell tower location daily, as well as cyclists, joggers or people just walking and perhaps stopping for a farm product, local chat or just enjoying the view.

This wonderful green space is exactly where the township placed its schools, recreational facilities and where one can still hear the bells of old Tennent Church accompanied by a distant locomotive. They will even see chickens freely ranging, goats, barns, tractors, old homes, 200 year old historic oaks, wildflowers, etc.; a true glimpse of the Manalapan that once was. Aside from the abundant resident wildlife like turkeys, bluebirds, red-tailed hawks, turtles, foxes, etc., they may occasionally see an osprey, blue heron, white piebald deer and perhaps, if lucky, an eagle grabbing a quick snack at a local pond.

These good citizens of Manalapan, in creating this strategically located open space, have not only dramatically benefitted both themselves and their children, but also wildlife. (Some wildlife species fall into the classification of Threatened, Species of Special Concern, and even Endangered.)

Now we are being asked to compromise all this, all we have done, and all that we have legislated and worked so hard to preserve and protect. Not for the benefit of some noble cause, but exclusively for the commercial benefit of Verizon in the form of an unnecessary and dangerous cell tower! Even worse, we are going to be subsidizing it!

For additional information and to sign the Petition please visit: https://www.stopcelltower.com