Metro PCS gets it antennas

After months of debate, the Lynbrook village board unanimously voted at its Nov. 16 meeting to allow the fifth largest wireless telecommunications network in the country, Metro PCS, to install six cell antennas on the top of 381 Sunrise Highway. That building, commonly known as the Congressional building, already has 42 permitted antennas on its roof.

When building department officials surveyed the roof of 381 Sunrise Highway, they counted 44 antennas on it, however, only 42 were permitted for installation. Village officials later found out that the additional two antennas were "repeater antennas" and those types do not need a permit to be installed.

Village attorney Peter Ledwith said that federal government regulations limits the village's authority to fight the installation of the antennas. The only way it could deny the application, he said, was if the antennas negatively impacted the aesthetics of the building or the surrounding community. "The village's discretion is limited to aesthetics," Ledwith said. "Only to the extent that the installation has a negative affect on property value, and that's hard to show."

Ledwith said Metro PCS proved it needed to install six antennas for the propagation of its signal, and the cell phone service provider provided data that showed large sections of the village would not get cell service without the additional antennas. He added that there are no health risks posed by the antennas because they give off radio waves, which are not harmful.

Mayor Brian Curran added that the village is legally prohibited to use health concerns as a reason to deny the Metro PCS application. He said that the goal is to centralize the antennas in one location, and he'd rather have them on the tallest building in the village, rather than on a small one. "The aesthetic affect will be minimal," Curran said. "It would be detrimental to the village if we denied their application, and then they put antennas on a two-story building on Sunrise Highway."

Trustee Alan Beach raised some safety issues with the roof that could arise if firefighters needed access to it during a call. On Nov. 4, village officials met with representatives from Lynbrook Sunrise Realty LLC -- the owners of 381 Sunrise Highway -- to address their concerns. There was some antiquated equipment on the roof, Beach said, and that posed a hazard to firefighters. To remedy the rooftop safety issue, cable trays on the roof will be painted to make them more visible and an abandoned water chiller will be removed. Beach said he was pleased that all of his safety issues were addressed.

"All my questions and problems were resolved," Beach said. "These people made a tremendous attempt to satisfy us and our neighbors."

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