Politics & Government

State DOT Puts Brakes On Cell Tower Hearing

State agency says tower could be airplane hazard

The State Department of Transportation is not keen on a proposal to build a 150-foot cell tower on Belmar Boulevard.

Jack Taylor, manager of the Monmouth Executive Airport on Route 34, presented a DOT letter to the Board of Adjustment at its regular meeting Wednesday that may threaten to derail plans that T-Mobile has to build the tower at 5100 Belmar Boulevard. No decision was made on the application Wendnesday. The next hearing is scheduled for September 2.

The letter, from the DOT’s Division of Aeronautics, says that if built the tower would pose a safety threat to banner planes and helicopters that use the nearby airport.

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It also takes issue with an earlier determination by the Federal Aviation Administration that the tower would pose no threat to airport traffic, implying the administration did not take into account the type of air traffic at Monmouth Executive.

“Although the FAA has issued a Determination of No Hazard to Air Navigation and the proposed site is outside of the Air Safety Zone, the proximity of any tower to the airport can be a safety factor since aircraft such as such as banner tow aircraft and helicopters frequently operate to and from the airport at a lower altitude due to the nature of their operations,’’ it says.

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The letter from the state DOT is attached to this story. Click below the photos to the right.

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T-Mobile, based in Bellevue, Wash., wants to build a 150-foot tower at 5100 Belmar Boulevard, just west of Route 34. Representatives for the company have previously testified that the tower is needed to close gaps in the company's coverage area.

T-Mobile has two other open applications for proposed towers at 3304 Belmar Blvd., near the Glendola Firehouse, and at 1817 Old Mill Rd. The company has eight cell towers either existing or proposed in town.

T-Mobile, like all cellular providers, is under orders by the Federal Communications Commission to provide a reliable network and the towers in each location will fill current gaps in its coverage, thereby satisfying the company's federal mandate.

Taylor gave the board the DOT letter, dated Dec. 13, 2010, during the public comment portion of the hearing, after Frank Ferrara – T-Mobile’s attorney -- had finished calling witnesses on the application and was prepared to give his closing statements.

During the next 30 minutes, a half-dozen residents panned the proposal.

“This is a recipe for disaster,’’ said Wyckoff Road resident Paul Peaff. “And if you vote this in, you’re partially responsible for a disaster.’’

But it was the DOT’s letter that had the largest impact on the board.

Ferrara, who minutes earlier was moving quickly toward a board vote on the application, changed course and asked that a full complement of board members be present for a vote. There were six of the nine board members present Wednesday.

Ferrara then asked for an informal poll of board members, to ferret out if they had any lingering concerns he needed to address before his closing statement.

Nearly all board members said they were concerned about the DOT letter.

Ferrara said that T-Mobile had already gotten the determination from the FAA, whose authority in such matters trumps the state DOT, that the tower posed no flight risk.

“I don’t want to be callous to the concerns, but the FAA trumps the DOT,’’ he said.

Board members remained unconvinced.

“I would love to see something from the FAA, saying they understood the kind of air traffic at the airport,’’ said member Kevin Orender.


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