Opponents Circulate Petition To Block Cell Tower

By Andrew Gorosko

A Dodgingtown woman is spearheading a petition drive aimed at preventing a telecommunications firm from erecting a proposed 150-foot-tall cell tower at 61 Dodgingtown Road (Route 302) behind Dodgingtown Garage.

Holly Kocet of 2 Karen Boulevard said this week that opponents of the cell tower proposal have collected about 70 petition signatures from people in the Dodgingtown area who oppose the plan.

Petitions against the cell tower proposal have been circulated in areas including Dodgingtown Road, Brookwood Drive, Taunton Hill Road, Karen Boulevard, Birch Hill Road, Hyvue Drive, and Codfish Hill Road in Bethel, Ms Kocet said.

AT&T, doing business as New Cingular Wireless, PCS, LLC, of Rocky Hill, is proposing the construction of a freestanding monopole-style metallic tower. The proposed cell tower would be constructed in a 3,000-square-foot fenced compound behind the automotive repair garage.

In a technical report submitted to the town, AT&T states that a new cell tower is needed to improve cellular communications in that area.

As of Thursday morning, AT&T had not submitted a formal application for the project to the Connecticut Siting Council, the state agency that reviews such construction proposals. Through its planned permit application to the siting council, AT&T would seek a certificate of environmental compatibility and public need for the construction, maintenance, and operation of a telecommunications facility.

In the petition circulated by Ms Kocet, the signers who oppose a cell tower at 61 Dodgingtown Road say, in part, that they:

*Oppose cell towers in residential neighborhoods.

*Oppose cell towers anywhere near schools.

*Oppose the cell tower aesthetics. It doesn’t look good or fit in with the environment and character of the neighborhood. It’s a blight and eyesore.

*It will devalue our real estate. Average home value drops between 2 and 20 percent if a cell tower is in the area.

*Although the Telecommunications Act of 1996 doesn’t allow a municipality to prohibit the location of cell towers based on adverse health effects, people’s fears about the presence of electromagnetic signals will drive down home values.

The Housatonic Valley Waldorf School, which has about 100 students, is located at 40 Dodgingtown Road.

In a statement, the school’s board of trustees said, “The Housatonic Valley Waldorf School is concerned about the close proximity of the proposed cell tower to our school, its implications, and the well-being of the children who attend our school.”

After the siting council receives a cell tower application from AT&T, the council would schedule a public hearing on the matter. The first session of such a hearing would be held in Newtown, with any additional sessions held at the council’s offices in New Britain.

AT&T investigated the potential for installing telecommunications facilities at four locations in the area, of which it chose 61 Dodgingtown Road as the best location.

The preferred site at 61 Dodgingtown Road lies in a B-1 (Business) zone. It is owned by Harold Dunleavy and John Dunleavy. The property holds an auto repair garage and gasoline filling station.

According to AT&T, 21 residences are located within 1,000 feet of the site, with the closest residence located about 250 feet away at 54 Dodgingtown Road.