By Andrew Martins, Managing Editor
The new year began just as most of 2016 did for the Hillsborough Township Zoning Board of Adjustment, as more hours were spent listening to additional testimony in Verizon Wireless’ ongoing application for a proposed proposed cell tower at the Woods Road firehouse., Immediately following the board’s reorganization efforts on Jan. 11, Verizon attorney Warren Stilwell once again brought William F. Masters Jr., a professional planner, before the board to discuss the telecommunications company’s proposal., Verizon wants to build the proposed tower on the property of the Woods Road firehouse to improve service, especially with 4G phones that people increasingly use to reach high-demand internet service, to the 2,200-home area., The telecommunications company would then pay the fire company an undetermined amount per year for the right to operate behind the firehouse, beyond the outfield of a baseball field., The proposal needs zoning variances, primarily to place a cell tower and house equipment in a residential zone, close to homes. The ordinance says a tower must be 1,000 feet from a residence., Verizon is also asking the Board of Adjustment for a variance to come within 2,000 feet of the Woods Road Elementary School (the proposed tower is 940 feet away), and to exceed the allowable maximum 35-foot height for a structure in the zone. The proposed tower is planned to stand 126 feet tall, including the lightning rod., The proposal not only calls for the construction of a 120-foot cell tower, but also the corresponding facility will be powered in an emergency by a natural gas generator., Mr. Masters began his testimony outlining details of a potential flagpole variant of the proposed monopole cell tower and how it could be made to allow other cell phone companies to co-locate their antennae to the site., One option that had been previously discussed was a potential flagpole design., Though Mr. Masters testified that the pole could be used by multiple carriers, there were certain “negative factors from a radio frequency standpoint” that came with that design., “Verizon has some radio frequency issues relative to the design of the antenna configuration within a flagpole, which is something that would have to be addressed by (Verizon Wireless Radio Frequency Engineer) Mr. David Stern,” Mr. Masters said., Mr. Stern, who could not attend the latest hearing due to family obligations, is expected to return before the board to testify to those shortcomings., One of those shortcomings of the flagpole model, Mr. Masters said, was that its limited amount of space found within the pole itself meant that measures would have to be taken to widen it to accommodate the additional facilities., The option of extending the pole was also discussed as a method of adding carriers to the proposed cell tower. Helen Haines, a member of the zoning board, said she wanted to make sure that any extension that could come to the cell tower would have to go before the board., “Any change, since we needed a variance to put the pole up in the first place, any modification would need additional approvals,” Mr. Stilwell said., Though discussions during the hearing were held regarding co-location, the applicant did not show evidence to reflect that capability, as the application only calls for the specifications of the monopole., Following Mr. Masters’ testimony, attorney Robert F. Simon, who is representing a group of concerned homeowners near the proposed site, cross-examined the planner on a range of issues., The next hearing on the proposed Verizon cell tower is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 7:30 p.m. in the Hillsborough Township Municipal Complex., In related news, the Zoning Board of Adjustment appointed Dr. Steven Sireci Jr. as its chairman and Frank Herbert as its vice-chairman. Their respective terms in each seat will last through the remainder of the year.
