Villadom Times Weekly Local Newspaper

Page 12 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • May 5, 2010 Area Planner ﬁnds Sears lot more suitable for monopole The application to erect a telecommunications monopole at the Sears Hardware location at 80 Godwin Ave. in Midland Park will have first dibs in front of the Midland Park Board of Adjustment. Testimony on the proposal is expected to begin in front of the board at a special meeting tentatively set for May 19 at 6 p.m. Burgis Associates, the borough’s planning consultant, determined in a report filed with the board in February, that Omnipoint Communications’ proposal for 44 Godwin Ave. “is more intrusive to the residential neighborhood than the proposal submitted by Verizon Wireless.” The two wireless companies had submitted similar applications to the board for 90-ft. high monopoles in the B-3 zone: Omnipoint at 44 Godwin and Verizon at 80 Godwin. The board suggested that the two companies could get together and share a monopole and asked Burgis to analyze the applications to determine which site would be more favorable to the community. The shared monopole would be 110 feet tall and require larger equipment that a single locator. Burgis reviewed the applications from a land use planning perspective only. The report notes that at 44 Godwin, the monopole and accompanying equipment compound would be set back 121 feet from Godwin Avenue, in the center of the parking lot within the landscaped island. Ten homes and all or part of 12 lots are located within 270 feet of the proposed monopole. “It is rather clear that the proposed pole will be rather conspicuously visible and prominent in the landscape, especially when viewed from residential areas adjacent to the proposed monopole,” the report says of the 44 Godwin site. ATT’s communications antennas are mounted on top of a three-story office building on the property as well, and the electronic equipment which services them is located north of the building. At 80 Godwin Ave., the Verizon monopole disquised as a flag pole is proposed to be located 121 feet from Godwin Avenue behind the bank building and 157 feet away from the nearest home. The property has access to Erie and Rea avenues in addition to Godwin, and several parking spaces would have to be relocated from the front to the area north of Sears. The report recognizes that locations which are appropriate to close gaps in service are limited and also calls for creative buffering solutions, but points out that a use variance is required nevertheless. It suggests that a shared monopole located at the municipal complex and equipped with antennas from both carriers might be a reasonable alternative. In January the borough council asked the two carriers to consider municipal property for their antennas. Borough ordinances permit cellular communications antennas on town property only; any other location requires a use variance from the board of adjustment. Although the Verizon application will advance first in front of the board, there is no guarantee that it would be approved. Regardless of the outcome, Omnipoint would not be precluded from pursuing its own application, according to board attorney Douglas Doyle. Twelve teens learn life-saving skills Twelve Ramsey teens were recently given the opportunity to be trained in emergency life-saving skills as part of the Ramsey Police Department’s leadership program. Participants included Eric Buser, Steven Kopack, and Ken Major from the high school. They trained alongside Mary Assile, Aidan Fine, Kasey Kelly, Thomas Stacey, Sarah Stacey, Victoria Thomas, Evan Thomas, Grace Turso, and Mike Turso from Smith School. The seven-hour block of instruction included role playing and hands-on scenarios, where the trainees were shown what to do in the critical first few minutes of an emergency. Among other things, the kids learned how to perform adult, child, and infant CPR; how to identify and save a choking victim; and how to splint and sling a broken bone. They learned how to stop bleeding, and how to use an external defibrillator to shock heart attack victims back to life. They also learned how to protect the victim and themselves while awaiting the response of an ambulance. The Leadership Program is being run as an adjunct to the department’s anti-substance abuse program. Each of the teens involved has been a volunteer at Ramsey’s DARE events, where they work alongside adult members of the community. “I think the program has a lot of potential,” said Officer Tim Shoemaker. “The training puts essential skills into the hands of our volunteer staff. At the same time, it’s a nice boost for their resumes.” Four adult volunteers from the DARE program were also trained. Instructors from the Ramsey Volunteer Ambulance Corps delivered the curriculum under the lead of Jeanette Coviello and Mike Migliaccio. Members Steve Ahlstedt, Mary Carol Ditaranto, Jill McNamara, and Annette Young assisted. All of the graduates will receive two-year certifications in both CPR and first aid from the Heartsaver Association. Now Open! 396 Franklin Ave Wyckoff, NJ 201-891-5500 Across from Aldo’s Restaurant Wyckoff Cycle LLC 4 Out of 5 Ain’t Bad! One of my SAT Verbal-Writing tutorial students got into four out of five colleges he applied to…including his target school. College counseling too… We Repair ALL Bicycle Brands �� Bikes for the Whole Family and the Pros 201-445-1343 • $60 per hour. ��