Board Approves Cell Antenna At Senior Village

The unanimously approved an application April 16 for MetroPCS to install a wireless cell phone antenna on the Edward Sisco Senior Citizen Village property on Runnymede Drive.

Cell phone antennas already exist atop one of the buildings on the property.

Hundreds of apartments exclusively for senior citizens are located on the property.

Vincy Bruno, the site manager, declined to comment on the application.

Diana Gold, communications manager for Metro PCS, did not return messages seeking comment.

Pinnacle Telecom Group conducted an independent compliance assessment on the site. The assessment measured radio frequency levels from the proposed antenna while it would be in operation. Pinnacle calculated that the proposed level of  maximum permissible exposure of radio frequencies at the site is less than one percent of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) limit for such frequencies.

In an October 2011, Pinnacle reported that results from the study prove that the level of radio frequencies “will be in clear compliance with the FCC regulations.”

There are several dozen cell phone antennas already located in the township.

T-Mobile applied to the planning and zoning boards to install five cell tower antennas last year.

A group of residents . The group was concerned that nearby property values would decrease if the antennas were built.

Resident Claire Furber helped lead the campaign. 

"It just bothers me. There is a health concern regarding cell towers but once they get onto a property it's tough to fight putting more on," Furber said.

T-Mobile eventually withdrew the applications “without prejudice.”