Township Councilmen Postpone Decision on Cell Tower

Members of the Washington Township council decided to table an ordinance Monday night that would have restricted the height of the cell tower next to the to 125 feet. At the last regular meeting, .

Residents who live around the municipal complex came out to the meeting Monday to once again oppose the location of the tower, telling members of the governing body that they should consider other areas of the township.

Councilman Joseph D'Urso agreed with those residents and has suggested alternative locations to government officials and representatives of the cell companies.

He admitted that the governing body needs to approve a tower in the township.

"I don't want a cell phone tower. I can't fight it. It's going to come in," D'Urso said. "We're going to get sued if we don't do anything. We are going to have residential or commercial sites allowed to do it if we don't do something."

Residents on both sides of the cell tower issue came out Monday night to share their opinions. Several residents near the Hudson Avenue location raised safety concerns, saying that if the tower were to catch fire or fall, it would be difficult to maneuver emergency vehicles and it could cut off emergency personnel from the rest of the municipality. Others said they already deal with noise and congestion associated with the , and and they don't believe they should have a cell tower near their homes too.

"There are other places for this cell phone tower to go," said Charles Matasker. "Hey neighbors, share the pain. You want cell phone towers, how about you guys take it?"

Joanne Anastasi, who has spoken out against the cell tower near the municipal complex, said she just wants to get information and make sure government officials are considering their options and selecting the right ones.

"I have come to the realization that it's going to go up," she said. "Let's do it right the first time."

Some residents told the council and said cell service needs to be improved because it can be spotty at best. David Snyde said he was worried in an emergency, people wouldn't be able to call for help.

Diane Ferrara, who lives near the Washington Township Tennis Club and fought a proposed tower in that area, said the council needs to consider the capacity of a cell tower and make sure that there is enough coverage so an additional tower isn't needed. She also said in her personal research, she couldn't tell the difference between a 125-foot cell tower and one that stood at 140 feet.

D'Urso called for the ordinance to be tabled so more research could be conducted.

"I'm asking the council to take a serious look before we really go forward with this," D'Urso said. "We've waited this long. We understand it needs to go in, but we really need to put it in correctly."

Members of the council agreed and the ordinance was tabled to the next meeting, which is scheduled for March 28.