Residents Hosting Meetings to Fight Cell Tower Applications

A group of residents will meet at the Wayne Public Library soon to discuss how to best fight against the five pending cell tower applications before the township's planning and zoning boards.

"We're trying to figure out what we want to get across to the township so that we don't all go to the town separately and all saying something different," said Claire Furber, one of the group's organizers. "We're trying to be as organized as we can."

T-Mobile Northeast LLC is applying to install five cell tower antennas in town, including one at 200 Colfax Rd., a residential neighborhood. RCC Consultants is the applications, evaluating the sites, and creating a report based on their findings. Official action on the applications is being delayed to future meetings until the report is complete. On Monday, the board of adjustments voted to move two of the applications to its May 16 meeting.

The group is concerned that local property values will decrease if the antennas are built. Its members also say the towers pose a health risk. 

"Our problem is that in the United States the cell phone companies are so powerful, they pay off government officials, just like the cigarette companies," Furber said. "When cigarettes first came out we were told they were safe and now we know the ill health effects of them and it is the same thing with cell phone towers."

The meetings will be held at the main library branch Thursday, March 31 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, April 2 at 10:30 a.m.

AT&T announced a deal this week to purchase T-Mobile for $39 billion.