MARLBORO — Twelve additional antennas may make their way to an existing monopole situated along Route 520. On Feb. 17 the Zoning Board of Adjustment began hearing an application from Omnipoint Communications to add its antennas and equipment cabinets at the site.
The 150-foot tall monopole on the property of Camp Arrowhead already features three sets of antennas and is owned by AT&T, according to attorney Frank Ferraro, who is representing Omnipoint before the zoning board.
The Omnipoint application requires a use variance, a height variance, an equipment height variance and a site plan approval with waivers.
Omnipoint’s antennas would be placed at about 112 feet up on the pole, according to the testimony.
Joseph Chiaravallo, the applicant’s radio frequency compliance expert, said the exposure levels with the additional antennas would be 300 times less than the limits set by the Federal Communications Commission.
The applicant’s radio frequency engineer, Mono Joshi, said that under present conditions, 70 percent of T-Mobile (Omnipoint’s other name) cell phone users would suffer a dropped call as they moved along Route 520 toward Boundary Road. The existing monopole is centrally located within the wireless communications provider’s gap, Joshi said. He said it is customary to find existing structures on which to place the antennas.
The addition of the antennas to the existing tower will enhance wireless 911 capabilities, Joshi said.
Engineer Joseph May, representing Omnipoint, said three equipment cabinets would be placed on a 4-foot by 16-foot concrete pad. May said the system’s battery backup would be sealed and contained within the cabinet.
When asked about possible battery leakage, May said he has no experience of that occurring, but said the containment area is designed to hold acid in the event that leakage occurred.
May said no construction of cabinets would take place outside the current fence that surrounds the area. Any repairs or maintenance at the base cabinets would take place during normal working hours, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Board members voiced concern about the current condition of the fence surrounding the area and asked if the applicant would be willing to make some repairs to the fence.
Zoning officer Sarah Paris noted that the fence is the responsibility of the pole’s owner and said she would send a notice to representatives of AT&T.
Although all of the equipment cabinets to be placed at the site by Omnipoint would be 6 feet tall, due to the topography of the land one equipment cabinet would sit at a height of 10 feet, which is higher than allowed by Marlboro’s ordinance.
The zoning board’s planner suggested landscaping to counter the height issue and mask the cabinets.
Board members indicated that supplemental plantings should be included in the area since the monopole is on the Camp Arrowhead grounds. The facility is owned and operated by the Community YMCA of Red Bank.
The only concern for neighboring resident Al Rudel was about an alarm on the equipment boxes and how loud the alarm would be.
The applicant’s representatives explained that the alarm is silent and will notify Omnipoint’s technicians if there is a probably with the equipment.
Ferraro said the monopole is expected to be redesigned in order to accommodate the additional antennas. Those plans would have to be submitted by the monopole’s owner.
Paris said AT&T representatives had contacted her about the redesign of the monopole, but she informed the board members that nothing could be done on that issue until they make a determination as to whether the addition of Omnipoint’s antennas will be approved.
The Omnipoint Communications hearing is expected to continue at the zoning board’s April 7 meeting.

