K. Rao Pinninti of Princeton
To the editor:
There have been a few hearings at the Lawrence Township Council on the demerits or merits of locating cell towers on a township land donated to it by the corporate entity Bristol Meyer Squibb. The township stated it would favor this site on Carter Road rather (than) another one along Route 206 as it could cover the cell communication signal’s dead spots, and also earn some money to supplement revenues for the township.
I wonder who with any sense of proportions would inflict injury (and other problems in the vicinity of a daycare center) on a residential neighborhood, based on a potential additional annual revenue in the range of $20,000 for a township with nearly $30 million budget. Does a democratic set up (and Democratic majority in the council) indulge in such hurtful activities in any legitimate manner?
Time and again a number federal court rulings have been brought to light in my arguments at the council meetings, but the respect for the legal standards seems lacking, and may need to be verified in the federal courts, at significant cost for the affected residents, the township and its citizenry. The role of the legally established “least intrusive” norm, among other norms, will be violated if the township proceeds with its bids processing for locating cell towers on Carter Road, and thus a prolonged litigation for remedying injustice will become necessary.
My advice to the Township Council: drop the processing bids for towers, and I ask if the township is obligated under any law, including the Telecommunications Act 1996, to provide cell tower site facility toward to fill the gap in services for Princeton Township more than for Lawrence Township. Again the geographic proportions issue becomes a liability for the Lawrence Township if it wants to proceed with offer of Carter Road site.

