Brookside Garden Center Not Ideal for Cell Tower: Expert

The debate over a on Bloomfield's Broad Street continued Thursday night as the township's zoning board heard testimony from a radio frequency expert employed by T-Mobile Northeast, LLC, the company that  wants to build the structure.

Radio frequency expert Joseph Menio told the crowd of over 75 people at town hall council chambers that the area around Brookside Garden Center, where the proposed 120-foot monopole would be situated, has spotty cellular coverage and would benefit from the new tower.

"It's not considered reliable and not up to T-Mobile's standards," said Menio, who works for the wireless consulting company PierCon Solutions of Lincoln Park.

The site at 551 Broad St., located at a 140-foot ground elevation, is in a valley, which impedes wireless coverage, and is also below the existing tree line, where leaves absorb radio emissions, Menio said. Existing coverage ends at nearby Ridgewood Avenue, which is about 100 feet taller in elevation than the proposed location.

There are also no significant structures of height in the area where cell phone antennas could attach themselves, such as a water tower, Menio said. That lack of structure forced T-Mobile to seek approval for the construction of the tower, he said.

Ronald Graiff, a radio frequency consultant engineer employed by the town, questioned Menio on the signal strength of the five existing cell phone towers in the area, how it was measured, and the measuring equipment's accuracy.

During questioning, Menio told him the cellular signal strength was measured in 2007 and was done during the height of summer, when trees were in full leaf - the worst period of cellular reception, Graiff said.

Fairfield attorney John Dusinberre, employed by the owner of a neighboring property, also probed Menio, particularly on whether the tower will be affected by AT&T’s impending takeover of T-Mobile.

Where are AT&T’s towers in the area and would the proposed Broad Street tower be a waste if all the T-Mobile and AT&T towers were combined into one coverage area, he asked.

“I think it's relevant for this board to understand where AT&T towers are located. I think they (Menio and associates) should produce that information,” said Dusinberre.

James Pryor, a Rockaway attorney representing T-Mobile, objected to Dusinberre’s questioning, saying, “They (T-Mobile and AT&T) are engaged - not married yet.”

T-Mobile is seeking approval from the zoning board because the tower is 80 feet above town building code and would be located in an area that does not allow an antenna, according to officials. It is also too close to certain property lines, according to an architectural rendering.

The proposed tower would have six antennas, Menio said.

An electrical engineer testified at that radio frequency emissions from the controversial cell phone tower would be 1,300 times below government standards.

Many residents who attended the meetings were still convinced Thursday that the cell tower is not needed. Others voiced concerns about its aesthetic value, calling it an eyesore. Several residents said they were also fearful that the structure would cause cancer rates to rise, harm home values, and collapse on nearby buildings because it's located in a flood zone.

"Towers do fall," said Kevin Haszko, a Bloomfield resident.

Town officials said a vote on the project will take place after expert testimony and statements from the public are done. For the tower to move forward, five people will have to approve it out of seven board members.

Questioning on Menio was cut short at 11 p.m. and will resume on June 16.

Testimony from other experts will be heard at the next meeting on May 12.

Click here to watch the entire zoning board meeting, courtesy of WBMA-TV.