Dead Zones in Teaneck, NJ

Teaneck wants cell towers on town land
Thursday, July 14, 2005

By BRIAN ABERBACK
STAFF WRITER


TEANECK - The Township Council plans to allow cellular towers and antennas on municipal property to fill coverage gaps that are viewed as a safety risk.

"Five years ago it was a luxury to have cellphones. Today it is a necessity," said Councilman Elie Y. Katz, who has pushed to amend regulations that prohibit the equipment on township land.

The council plans to introduce an ordinance that will call for the change at its July 26 meeting. The amendment would not include schools, which would still be off-limits to cell towers and antennas, township officials said.

Katz said the importance of easily reaching police and emergency services by cellphone has taken on heightened importance.

"It's a hazard not being able to call 911 from your cellphone in certain areas of town," Katz said. "Every minute it takes to get to a patient counts and can change the outcome of an emergency."

Township officials have also said that allowing the monopoles or antennas would improve the quality of police, fire and ambulance radio communications.

Several businesses and private landowners already have cellular equipment on their properties, but they do not affect the dead zones where cell service drops out, Township Manager Helene Fall said.

Katz said the worst areas are Route 4 westbound from Queen Anne Road to Belle Avenue and eastbound from North Wilson Avenue to Queen Anne Road; Palisade Avenue north of Route 4; and Cedar Lane west between Queen Anne and Teaneck roads.

The Rodda Community Center on Colonial Court, the municipal green on Teaneck Road and the Cedar Lane and Windsor Road fire stations would be among the dozen potential municipal cellular sites once the regulations are changed.

Mayor Jacqueline Kates said the township would also create a new revenue stream by leasing its land to cellular communications companies.

Other communities have taken in tens of thousands of dollars per year from such lease agreements.

"Safety is the major issue," Kates said, "but we will also be generating some income."

Deputy Mayor Deborah Veach cautioned that plans to build cell towers on township property near residential areas would likely face resident protests.

"I think we'd be naive to not expect people to come forward," Veach said. She cited numerous newspaper articles about residents in other communities battling with cellular communications companies.

Most of the arguments involve safety, aesthetic and quality-of-life issues.

"I think we should be prepared" for complaints, Veach said. "I will reluctantly go ahead with this, but I'm not very happy about it."

Councilman Paul Ostrow said cell towers are less of an eyesore today than in the past.

"Technology continues to show progress where the size and scope can be reduced from an aesthetic point of view," he said.

E-mail: aberback@northjersey.com

Dead Zones in Teaneck, NJ

 

If you look at the T-Mobile Compass Map
it's there.

 

very light gray closer to white (No service)
and it's not just T-Mobile but other Carriers too.