Raucous Hearing for Vanderbilt Cell Tower

Dozens of residents of the area around the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum in Centerport voiced their concerns about and, in some cases, support for a140-foot monopole cellular communications tower proposed for the grounds at a public hearing held by the museum's Board of Trustees Wednesday.

The stated goal of the project is to improve cell phone reception in the Centerport and Northport Harbor area and provide the opportunity for public safety communications as well as to generate revenue, said Noel Gish, President of the Vanderbilt's Board of Trustees.

The tower would be placed just inside the entry to the museum parking lot off of Little Neck Road, Gish said.

Revenue is not as important as potential negative health effects, Centerport resident Dr. Todd Coven told the board. "I'm a physician who specializes in skin cancer. I live over a mile from the museum, but my concern is for those who live closer," Coven said. "Cell towers have not been around for a very long period of time. Solar radiation can take 20, 30 or even 40 years to show its effects and I operate on those individuals. There is no study, to my knowledge, that has shown long-term effects of this cell tower don't increase the risk for cancer. That's a serious issue. It's more important than money. I am firmly against it from a safety standpoint."

Another physician, internist Dr. Jack Geffken, who has been an emergency medical technician for the Centerport Fire Department for over 25 years and is a member of the department's Board of Fire Commissioners, said not having the cell tower is ore of a safety and health risk than having the tower.

"As members of the fire department, we have long battled with communication problems in Centerport. The topography creates problems and the elevation of our current antenna renders it useless," Geffken "We're hoping if this antenna goes through that additional elevation would help with the life safety issues and helps the operation of our fire departments. In addition we also use text messaging to alert our members of alarms. As we all know Centerport can be very dicey as far as getting a cell signal. So the fire district is taking the stance that this will enhance our communications."

Some at the hearing chided the board for doing more to inform the public of the hearing but Gish said the board had been thorough.

"This is the second meeting we've held on this," Gish said. A sign advertising the hearing was on Little Neck Road in front of the musuem for four weeks and it was also listed in the local news media outlets including Patch, he said.

Gish said that if the Suffolk County legislature asked the Vanderbilt board to hold another meeting, it would.

Others asked the board to hold off so opponents could have the chance to raise the $100,000 making the cell-tower revenue unnecessary. Gish said that a group of residents made that same offer two years ago, but never took action.

A representative from Suffolk Wireless, the winner of the county's request for proposals for the cell tower, was on hand. No contract has yet been signed with the company.

Two years ago the museum faced closing because of financial insolvency. Suffolk County Legislator Jon Cooper, D-Lloyd Harbor, proposed and promoted a plan for the tower.

The museum's board would only makes a recommendation regarding the cell tower. The county legislature would make the final decision.