Cell Tower Meeting in Wantagh Monday Night

With the Town of Hempstead about a month away from adopting a new ordinance on cell tower regulations and requirements, several community groups will meet Monday night in Wantagh to develop a united plan on how to fight the proliferation of cell equipment around town.

The meeting, to be held at Wantagh High School at 7:30 p.m., is being hosted by the North Merrick Community Association and M.O.M.S. (Moms of Merrick & Bellmore Speak Out), along with County Legislator Dave Denenberg, the Telecommunication Taskforce, the South Merrick Community Civic Association and the newly formed Wantagh Civic Association. 

As of Sunday night, 130 people had replied through an online invitation that they would be in attendance at the meeting. 

"We will not let ourselves be an experiment of the cell phone companies," the invitation reads. "We will not let our children be guinea pigs!"

The invite says the goal of the community groups is to "create safe zones and towers should not be placed within 1,500 feet (approximately 1/4 mile) of any home or school." 

Hempstead Senior Deputy Attorney Charles Kovit and Richard Comi, the town's recently hired wireless telecommunication consultant, will be on hand Monday night to answer questions from residents about the pending town regulations on cell towers and antennas.

Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray said earlier this month that the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 limited the town's ability to regulate where cell equipment can be placed.

"We are taking steps to create additional protections, but quite frankly, the lobbying should be done in the halls of Congress," Murray said.

North Bellmore residents have been hammering a proposal for a cell tower at the North Bellmore Fire Department's mantainence facility, while Wantagh residents have been fighting against proposed cell antennas atop the Farmingdale-Wantagh Jewish Center.

In Merrick, community groups have been battling cell equipment installations for more than a year, and M.O.M.S. has taken particular issue with antennas popping up near schools, including nine T-Mobile antennas recently installed on the roof of 1955 Merrick Rd., an office building directly across from Lakeside School.