Cell Towers and Antennas, Can T-Mobile Do This to Your Community Too?
As I lay awake another night at 2 a.m. with Christmas around the corner, my children fighting a brutal stomach virus, what do you think is on my mind? T-Mobile! How can I stop them from putting a cell tower only 180 feet from my family? This is the overriding thought that has been in my head since October 18th when my Hopewell Township Committee granted T-Mobile a variance and permission to transform a harmless, non-radiating water tower into a cell tower. It has consumed me and many of my neighbors too. This is the “T-Mobile Impact” and it affects me on a daily basis.
Loopholes We Shouldn’t Have to Live With
I cannot fathom that due to an ordinance with a loophole encouraging cell providers to co-locate on existing structures (no matter where or how close they are located to human beings) that soon our community will be living under constant radiation. Yes, it may be at a low level, but it’s constant. Can anyone guarantee that there is no chance of our families being physically, mentally and emotionally affected by this? No! So what percent are we willing to live with 10%, 8%, 5%, 3%? What percent will give us peace of mind? Right now the water tower gives 0% chance of harm to our community, and that’s what we deserve.
Patrick Lamb from T-Mobile
Who can help us rectify this situation? We have met with Patrick Lamb of T-Mobile, he listens very well, gives little rays of hope and then takes them away in the same breath. Why can’t he realize that a community of potential customers would be so much more grateful to a business that sometimes cares more about people the bottom line.
Trenton Water Works Failed
How about Trenton Water works? We are their customers too. Is it worth giving so many people access to our water supply? What kind of background checks are being done on people who would have access to the tower? Is the $24,000 a year worth crushing property values of their customers? Putting customers at potential risk? Could they possibly have a heart? American Water, who is buying the property, frowns on attaching cell equipment to their structures. They don’t want to upset their customers! Wow, what a novel concept!
Our Hopewell Township Committee
Lastly, how about our Hopewell Township Committee!? The mayor and township engineer have been working with us tirelessly, but we need more. We need the rest of the committee to step up, bring their A game. Amend the ordinance to protect us. They represent us!
The one glimmer of hope or goodness in this whole mess is the unbelievable backing of our community. We filled the town hall with families to let T-Mobile and the township committee know that we need help and that we don’t want our community to be part of an involuntary health and real estate study!
So, can this happen in your community…you better check your ordinance! I think you will be surprised!
I still have hope that T-Mobile will do the right thing! They should take their time find a spot that meets their goals and is not in the most densely populated part of Hopewell. I’d love to see how many cell towers or antennas are in Mr. Lamb’s neighborhood…
Lisa
December 20th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
You have GOT to be kidding me. So for the last month pat lamb has been stringing us all along, along with the Hopewell Township engineer! Obviously lamb never intended to take any other location seriously. Maybe we need to alert EVERY town newspaper in the Tri-State area that they too better check out their town ordinances. Our representive on the planning cttee., hirsch from Brandon Farms has no idea how to represent his neighbours but we can be good neighbours to our fellow statesmen and women and give them a heads up as to what T-Mobile will do in their towns. SHAME on T-Mobil and Shame on Lamb!! I really believed he’d look out for us. They say “What goes around, comes around”. Money can’t buy a clear conscience. Mines clear, is your Lamb or yours Hirsch??
December 20th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
So many other potential spots for the cell tower exist. The best option was one discussed that was acres away from homes and schools, and gave T-Mobile the coverage they wanted. The community and Town Council much prefer this, but it means a delay of 6-9 months. There were temporary options, too, for the interim. But T-Mobile has rejected these and pressed on - As Many Bars as Possible RIGHT AWAY! To heck with the families, children, homes. Nice Policy. T-Mobile is on its way to convert the water tower to their cell tower. Were we really ever in negotiations with T-Mobile, I wonder.
December 21st, 2007 at 8:30 am
It’s 4 days before Christmas and instead of thinking about gifts under the tree, I can’t stop worrying about antennas that will go up any day on top of the water tower. Yes, T-Mobile’s end of the year report is due. Yes, T-Mobile has all the paper work needed for antennas. But, do you, T-Mobile have to be a Grinch and steal our piece of mind? Do your children sleep under the antennas remitting radiation 24-7? Do you worry that you will lose 10-15% equity on your home? I still can’t understand how Verizon is able to provide service EVEN IN MY BASEMENT without erecting cell antennas and without upsetting the neighbors. Clearly, there is an alternative site away from the densely populated area and it was offered to you. Why can’t you colocate with other carriers if you need an instant coverage? Is waiting 6-9 months more costly to you than losing many more potential customers forever? Where’s your Holiday spirit?
December 21st, 2007 at 9:04 pm
This is a long blog entry so forgive me but this situation continues to shock and amaze me.
I don’t know if anyone has every checked out the Brandon Farms Property Owner’s Association website but for those that haven’t, here is a portion of the description of our neighborhood from the site.
“We are a richly diverse community nestled in the rolling bucolic landscape of the southeastern region of Hopewell Township where frequently the only sounds heard are the songs of thousands of birds and the laughter of children at play” (kudos to whoever came up with bucolic, I’ll need to use that in Scrabble next time I play)
The way things are going, pretty soon we’ll need to add “and the slight humming of cell phone antennas”
I can’t blame Patrick Lamb for this. T-Mobile is a business and they have every right based on the current ordinance to put the antennas on the tower. But, I would hope they would continue to work with the Committe and us to find an alternate spot and not just placate us. Don’t BS us. If we have no shot of convincing you on an alternate site TELL US NOW. Personally, I have a T-Mobile account that I use at Starbucks but will cancel that in a minute if this tower goes up. I’m sure that’s not enough to convince them to move it but it’s a start.
Shame on the Township Committee for letting it get this far and for not keeping up with technology. How they weren’t aware of Cell phone towers invading neighborhoods is beyond me. Lost in all of this is the fact that the township re-assessed our homes 2 years ago at the height of the real estate market and we know what’s happen since then. Now we’ll have a neighborhood that has high tension wires and a cell phone tower in it. Who wouldn’t want to move in here!!! Maybe we need to more of the real estate agents in the neighborhood involved in fighting this battle.
I can guarantee you that if one of these was going up in Ms. Sandom or Mr. Sandahl’s neighborhood the gloves would be off and they would be fighting nonstop to move or stop it (or did that already happen????).
Lastly, shame on the BFPOA for laying down and letting T-Mobile and the Township Committee do this to the neighborhood. I don’t live anywhere near the water tower but it bothers me that people on our committee (thank you for volunteering) are OK with this happening. I understand that we live in a wetlands area and that the temporary option was denied by T-Mobile but is that it? Your job is done? Please stop the madness about ensuring all our mailboxes look the same and our shutters are the approved color. Please focus on what really matters in this neighborhood…keeping it a place where where frequently the only sounds heard are the songs of thousands of birds and the laughter of children at play” As our Association, you need to step up now and stop this from happening!!
The rest of the neighborhood needs to be vocal as well since this effects the entire Brandon Farms community and not just the people living near the water tower.
December 22nd, 2007 at 9:42 am
Everyone,
Thanks so much for responding to my latest post. There is a definite comfort in knowing that we are not alone. It’s interesting, my daughter also “had” T-MObile. It was a pay as you go phone. She used it in our home and around the nieghborhood. No problems.
I am hoping still that someone at T-Mobile will have a heart and give this some more time. We have been doing a lot of the leg work, but you are correct Mike, we need help from our Township Committee and T-Mobile. I think American Water should be a role model for all the companies. I wish our POA would stay involved. This is a definite aesthetic issue as well as a property value concern. Perhaps they could have a study done on the effects of property value, because that is going to be a huge issue soon.
Take care and thank you all again and again!
December 22nd, 2007 at 5:29 pm
What we need to be thinking of is how can we (a very small but very p*ssed off) community have a significant impact on T-Mobile’s reputation which will in some way affect their bottom line? The only way they will cooperate is if they are threatened in some way with loss of business (by perhaps an EXPLOSION of media coverage, NATIONAL MEDIA COVERAGE perhaps, on how they are taking advantage of a small community.
Anyone personally know Katie Couric or Larry King? Lisa, I’d sit on the couch on “The View” with you any day! We need to get people, particularly Mom’s of young children, R-E-A-L-L-Y angry about our plight. There’s strength in numbers, right? This can happen in anyone’s neighborhood. Let’s share the burden and hope that just maybe it might bring more attention to this matter than just our little valley.
December 23rd, 2007 at 11:20 am
Hello everyone.. I agree with all that has been said. If the water tower is turned into a cell tower… I sure hope that those who have T-MObile will switch to another carrier… While I understand Patrick Lamb and T-MObile’s business position, I hope that they realize that they can actually end up smelling like roses if they change their decision and find a better location…. wouldn’t that be wonderful, a company that listens to the people in the community that they are trying to have as customers?!!
T-Mobile should also considering waiting out the year to see what happens with the twin pines site…. this could also work to their advantage in the long run..do they have long distance vision or are they only near sighted??
I also agree, let’s go to the television news.. we should all email the news anchors at the various stations that trouble shoot for their stories… all the programs have sections on their web to send in ideas for stories…let’s all start this up right now!!
December 23rd, 2007 at 3:56 pm
Everyone,
I wish to state some facts as they relate to this T-Mobile matter:
1) On October 18, 2007, the Hopewell Township Planning Board, on which sits Mayor and Township Committeewoman Vanessa Sandom and Deputy Mayor and Township Committeeman David Sandahl, voted unanimously to grant two variances to T-Mobile necessary for their plan to install cell antennas at the top of the Trenton Water Works Water Tower located on Henley Place. This use for cell antennas on the water tower was and still is a permitted use under the 2001 Cell
Tower Ordinance of Hopewell Township;
2) On November 29, 2007, the Hopewell Township Planning Board voted again
unanimously to memorialize their October 18, 2007 decision;
3) On October 25, I, as President of the BFPOA, became aware of the October 18th
decision and went down to the Hopewell Township Planning Office because I
thought that the land the water tower is on is owned by the BFPOA. However, I
found out that the entire property on which the Water Tower is located is owned by Trenton Water Works;
4) Since October 25, 2007, I have been intimately involved with doing whatever
can be done to reverse this approved use-opening the POA Clubhouse to 3 meetings on this, reserving the Cafetorium in Stony Brook ES for a community
meeting, meeting with Township officials,T-Mobile and concerned residents on
where to locate a temporary C.O.W. somewhere in Brandon Farms until Hopewell Township secures the Twin Pines Airport property and o.k. a permanent cell tower to be placed in the woods adjacent to the open fields;
5) In addition to me, other members of the BFPOA Board have been involved in this
Quest from the first week in November to now; AT NO TIME HAS THE BFPOA EVER LIED DOWN ON THIS ISSUE;
6) On December 11, 2007, the BFPOA Board voted to meet with T-Mobile to see
if the field, known as the Brandon Farms Community Square-bounded by Stephenson, Van Brunt and Denow Roads-would be acceptable to them as a
temporary location for the Cell-On-Wheels (C.O.W.); This field is 7.5 acres and there was no location suitable for them. That’s an amazing fact;
7) On December 13, 2007, T-Mobile representatives met with me and our POA
Community Manager to look at 6 locations in this field. T-Mobile had several
objections to each site and said none of the locations would work;
As I have said on several occasions, if we, the BFPOA, owned the land on which the TWW Water Tower exists, T-Mobile would never have gotten the permission to locate cell antennas on the tower. Somehow, T-Mobile found the only spot in the entire Brandon Farms development that is not owned by the Brandon Farms POA.
The Brandon Farms POA has stepped up and offered T-Mobile temporary locations but they have not accepted them. It is up to Hopewell Township to use its power here. They are the ones who approved this in the first place. They are the ones who talk about the permanent cell tower in the Twin Pines Airport. They are the ones who will grant T-Mobile its building permit for the Water Tower.
It is going to take at least 3 out of the 5 Townsip Committee members to make the Twin Pines Airport happen. We have heard from Vanessa Sandom but where do the other Hopewell Township Committee members, including the soon to-be sworn in new Township Committee members-Jim Burd and Mike Markulec stand on this issue?
December 23rd, 2007 at 8:59 pm
Bob,
Just want to thank you for laying out the time line so clearly. It really spells out how things went down. The bottom line now though is that time is ticking and we need to unite against T-Mobile. They have the wrong picture in their mind, we need to change it! I’ve said before that I’ve seen the huge support that I am so grateful for. People who don’t even live in Brandon Farms have looked us up to give us information to use to stop this. Let’s work together to send the message loud and clear “Cell towers do not belong in densely populated areas where families young and old live.”
Hang in there together!!
December 23rd, 2007 at 11:23 pm
AT&T uses same GSM technology as T-mobile. Yet, they have found a way to service Brandon Farms, well, without using corporate chicanery and deceit to punish the very customer base that it seeks to tap. Perhaps, bulleying tactics does work - although only maybe for T-mobile.
T-mobile being a weak carrier has decided that competition against its rivals are too tough and decided to go the extra miles to subvert the will of the affected people and the spirit of the very law it has decided to misuse.
Only the weak plays dirty. T-mobile you are weak clearly demonstrated by your deceit in trying to create a facade of working together. If you contine on this path of destroying our hopes and lifetime work, it will at most be a Pyhric victory. Study what AT&T has done and the alternatives you clearly have.
Does T-mobile still wants to proceed with destroying our neighborhood?
I really hope not. Mr. Patrick Lamb, do the right thing. If not perhaps our showing up at shareholders’ meeting and blasting your CEO about what kind corporate citizenship you have portrayed for T-mobile probably won’t go well. Your CEO will be presented all the facts including how AT&T provides great service to our area without destroying our neighborhood; how you have stated that you rather not co-locate - clear intent to bypass the spirit of our township ordinance.
Mr. Patrick Lamb, do not make us into fulltime crusader against T-mobile.
December 24th, 2007 at 10:12 am
I apologize if this is not a typical Blog response…and please forgive my lack of information in regards to a COW located at Twin Pine Airport, but I still have a few questions that still linger in my mind:
1. Has the Township pursued the COW location at Twin Pine’s Airport aggressively enough? Do we even know if township officials have spoken with the land owner?
2. Are ALL areas in Twin Pine Airport contaminated or is this a “convenient” excuse to avoid the location at this time – for whatever reason(s)?
3. Is the Township/County avoiding “COW dialogue” with the Twin Pine owner because it may hinder any future purchase deals - just a thought?
Again, forgive me if I have missed the answers to these questions, but I know that I have not personally heard a response besides that the… “land is contaminated.”
Dan
December 24th, 2007 at 9:13 pm
Good Corporate Citizen? Most large corporations support local schools and have an active role in the communities in which they serve. The water tower is located in a densely populated residential community and is in close proximity to Stony Brook Elementary school. T-Mobile, is this your idea of being a good corporate citizen? Clearly the residents of Brandon Farms do not want cell antennas placed on the water tower and even the soon to be owner of the water tower (American Water) does not want cell antennas installed on their water towers. Therefore, why continue pursuing this location when there are other options? Others have mentioned co-locating with other cell companies (e.g. Verizon and AT&T) that have excellent service in our community and they have avoided putting cell antennas in Brandon Farms. T-Mobile, I implore you to do the right thing and to listen to the customers that you are trying to serve. Find another location for your cell tower!
December 26th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
FYI, detailed information regarding our plight has been sent out to:
CBS Evening News
ABC News
NBC News
New York’s “7 On Your Side”
New York’s “Shame On You”
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The squeaky wheel gets the oil. Let’s make some noise.
January 10th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Following is a resolution that the Board of Directors of the Brandon Farm Condo Association has approved unanimously
by an email vote on 1/8/08 and will memorialize at our next regularly scheduled meeting (1/17/08).
Speaking for myself I believe this is much more than a question of the science of the dangers of cell emissions (although the long term affects are not know because this is new technology ). It is a question of our neighbors asking for help, help in protecting their children,and help in protecting their homes.
As a community we can turn away and say it doesn’t effect me. But I for one strongly believe that when someone asks for help you don’t turn your back on them or try to find reasons why you can’t. What you do is to see how and if you can help.
This is a great community and I and my family love living here. Now let’s truly come together as a community.
Following is a show of support by five members of this community for the health ,and safety of all of our neighbors.
Resolution
Resolution Supporting the Neighbors Throughout Brandon Farms Community In Their Effort To Stop T-Mobile From Locating a Cell Phone Antenna in A Residential Area
Brandon Farms Condominium Association
Approved by the Board on (Date)
First reading by (1/8/08)
Effective Date: (1/24/08)
WHEREAS, Brandon Farms is a community serving many types of residential needs (age restrictive, condominiums, single family homes, and affordable housing), and also has one of the Townships four elementary schools located
within its boundaries (Stony Brook)
.
WHEREAS, the Township of Hopewell has allowed T-Mobile to locate a cell phone antenna on a water tower within a residential community less then 200 feet from
residents homes, and less then 800 feet from Stony Brook.
WHEREAS, the science of the long range effects of this radiation on our children and older residents has yet to be done, and such science is as suspect as the science that said C.A.T. scans were no problem and drugs for pain would not
cause heart attacks.
WHEREAS, we are all neighbors and should act as one when our health or safety are involved.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Brandon Farms Condominium Association’s Board of Directors strongly urge both the Township and T-Mobile to reconsider locating the cell phone antenna within the boundaries of our Community. Be it further resolved that we will support any effort by homeowners to stop this affront to our community.
January 10th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
I applaud the Brandon farms Condominium Association for the hard stand they have taken on this issue. The realize that they don’t have to listen to Federal Acts that were lobbied for with millions of dollars. They can address that there is more work and research to be done potential health risks and that our community should not be part of it!
Thank you, I know it’s hard to make a resolution, but the unanimous vote speaks volumes for the character of your board.
Lisa Hayden
January 31st, 2008 at 10:46 am
Dear Lisa,
T-Mobile is trying to come into our neighborhood in Bradenton Florida which is highly residential and has 2 schools within 1/4 of a mile from the proposed tower site. Do you have any advice on how to fight this? This was the first meeting that we had heard of these plans, now they are applying to the county to erect it.
Very very concerned over health risks. Please advise.
Cecilia Harrison
December 17th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Lisa,
The citizens of Blanco Park, in Culver City California just became the newest members of the ‘T-Mobile’ nightmare club. This phone company and a local office supply Cash’n'Carry have used a sneaky tactic of submitting their ‘Official Notice’ on a weekend preceding the Christmas holiday to minimize their ‘15 day public comment period’ in the hopes the community might just miss their one chance to address the City Council, the next business day!
Their intent is to place their antennas at the top of an already oversized eyesore building directly adjacent to homes and within a few hundred feet of a grammar school! How creepy is this company!
Citizens showed up to the council meeting in force and the council seems sympathetic. Follow our ‘T-Mobil’ nightmare at www.stopsawtelletower.com