No Reception For Verizon's Cell Tower Proposal

Despite promises that a new 130-foot cell phone tower would alleviate reception issues in Brookfield, the proposal still received no reception at Monday’s Plan Commission Meeting.

A group of six Verizon Wireless planners attempted to allay residents’ concerns about the safety of the tower. However, roughly 10 residents voiced their opposition to the project and asked commissioners, “Can you hear me now?”

Verizon is hoping to build a 130-foot monopole adjacent to a water tower at 19295 W. North Avenue, which runs shoulder to shoulder with yards and homes in a residential neighborhood along Alta Vista Circle and Alta Vista Drive. The plans call for construction of the tower, which could expand to 150 feet if other service providers lease space, and an equipment shed on site.

The Plan Commission tabled a vote on Verizon’s permit approval to June 10 due to the controversial nature of the project.

There has been mounting opposition to the tower since it was initially proposed. Safety is a top concern for homeowners in the neighborhood who fear the tower would invite an increased prevalence of lightning strikes, falling ice, or serious injury should the tower collapse.

“Our concern about safety remains unaddressed…there are still properties and homes within the fall zone of the tower,” said Brookfield resident Kevin Pasqua. “To me, that’s unacceptable, and it should be unacceptable to every resident in the city of Brookfield.”

Several backyards would abut the proposed cell tower site, and some homes would be just 120 feet away from the 130- to 150-foot tower. Pasqua added that a 46-foot fall zone was inadequate for the location, because children often play quite close to the tower’s proposed site. Several residents stated the proposal encroaches on setback requirements for similar tower projects.

“I do not favor strong cell coverage over the safety of residents in this community. This tower is too close to our homes,” said John Eimerman, whose home is adjacent to the site. “There is strong precedent across the country to oppose the building of cell towers exactly like the one we oppose. You do not have to fear a large corporation. The law is on your side.”

Eimerman, and others, added that by approving this project, the Plan Commission would have no choice but to approve other similar proposals in the future. It would be a dangerous precedent to set for other neighborhoods in the city, they said.

Verizon Has Nowhere Else to Go 

On Monday, Rodney Carter, who is an attorney representing Verizon, attempted to address as many neighbor concerns as possible. He and six other Verizon representatives were given the floor before residents spoke.

Carter said Verizon has gone above and beyond its typical protocol to ensure the safety and specific concerns of neighbors were met. Verizon would perform a complete soil analysis to test the resistance of the ground, and install proper equipment to ensure lightning wouldn't pose a potential health risk to neighbors.

He said Verizon would increase the security and further restrict access to the tower to be certain children couldn’t climb the monopole or step within the drop zone.

He assured residents that engineers over-design every cell tower to prevent a catastrophic collapse. He said Verizon would continue to reasonably alter and modify plans to suit residents in the neighborhood.

“Verizon doesn’t just propose tower construction to get people out on a Monday night in spring. They are very analytical in how they choose their tower sites,” Carter said. “We want to take steps above and beyond Verizon standards for this pole installation. We are willing to continue making reasonable concessions.”

Carter pointed to several wireless reception maps to illustrate the dead zone in Brookfield that Verizon is hoping to address. The site on North Avenue is ideal in that it fills a void without interfering with existing towers. They considered the recycling center site further north, but it would require a 300-foot pole and still wouldn’t alleviate coverage issues.

Other Verizon representatives hoped to snuff some concern about icing and lightning. They said the water tower is already the tallest point in the immediate area to attract lightning strikes, and icing is probably a larger problem on the water tower than it would be on the cell tower.

Carter also said Verizon considered placing its equipment on the water tower, which is already home to wireless antenna equipment. However, the tower was at capacity, and adding more equipment would create a regulatory safety concern.

“The current site meets a high standard to fill a coverage void,” Carter said. “I’m not sure where Verizon would go if this site is turned down.”