Villadom Times Weekly Newpaper Online-February 23, 2011 Issue

February 23, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 5 Midland Park The public hearing on the monopole proposed for the Sears shopping center on Godwin Avenue in Midland Park will continue Feb. 23 at 7:30 p.m. The case, which is pending before the Midland Park Zoning Board of Adjustment, was continued after only six members of the board were available at the Feb. 9 meeting. The board agreed to postpone the matter until this week after the applicants requested that seven board members be present. The applicants wish to have as many board members present as possible because five affirmative votes are necessary to approve the use variance needed to construct the proposed monopole. Verizon Wireless and T-Mobil Northeast, LLC filed the joint application to install a 120-foot high stealth tower antenna on the three-and-a-half-acre site. The property is zoned for business retail and office use. The use variance is Hearing on Godwin Avenue monopole to continue required because cellular towers are permitted uses only on municipally-owned property. The firehouse/DPW garage property on Greenwood Avenue is the only site in Midland Park that is zoned for cell towers, and a 150-foot tower has been located on that property for more than a decade. Last month, the board heard testimony on behalf of the applicants from RF (radio frequency) expert Glenn Pierson and input from the board’s independent RF consulting engineer Ronald Graiff. The board had previously decided to end further testimony, but later decided to accept additional testimony regarding DAS, a distributed antenna system, and whether DAS would be a better option than a tower. Under questioning by the applicants’ attorney, Richard Schneider of Vogel, Chait, Collins & Schneider, Pierson said he does not think DAS “is an appropriate solution Board approves integrated preschool program The Midland Park Board of Education has approved an integrated preschool program for children ages three through five that will begin in September. Tuition will be $2,700 per student for the program, which will run weekdays for two-and-a-half hours each day. Veteran pre-K educator Patty Zarpaylic will teach the students. The program will be housed at Godwin School and will follow the public school district’s calendar. In order to be eligible for this program, a child must be three years of age on or before Oct. 1, 2011. A birth certificate and a copy of immunizations will be required of those students admitted to the program. The primary objective of the program is to provide typically-developing children with an opportunity to participate with peers in kindergarten readiness activities. Following the state-approved Creative Curriculum program, the preschool will offer academic skill development, social growth, and language development in a school setting. Director of Special Services Sheralyn Gottlieb the integrated preschool program was an initiative she spearheaded with the collaboration of Godwin-Highland School Principal Danielle Bache. “Preschool classified students should have the opportunity to learn with their general education peers in their own district,” Gottlieb said. The director noted that a preschool program that had been offered through Midland Park Continuing Education did not run this year. Applications are available on the district website www.midlandparkschools.k12.nj.us. Contact Director of Special Services Sheralyn Gottlieb at (201) 444-7445 or Godwin-Highland School Principal Danielle Bache at (201) 445-3880 for more information and to request an application by mail. given the significance of the area.” He added that he did not think DAS was a responsible option. Asked if he would consider using DAS in the absence of an available monopole site, Pierson said, “From an engineering standpoint, it would not be my next step.” The witness also said, “I’m not saying you can’t provide radio signal. You can. I haven’t argued that. It’s just a matter of will it meet the requirements? Will it be reliable? Will it meet the threshold of what consumers get today with the systems that are built?” Pierson said his concern with DAS is the issue of reliability. He spoke at some length about 911 use for emergencies. The witness noted that DAS does not provide emergency responders with an exact location for the caller. He also pointed out that, if a tree falls and causes a power outage, monopoles would not be as susceptible to interference as individual pole-mounted antennas would be. He testified that a DAS setup would require a base station and multiple antennas – possibly 17 in this case – that would be located on poles. Consent would be required from the owners of multiple poles. Pierson acknowledged that DAS is in use in various locations, including at Penn Station, at Newark Airport, and in the nation’s capital. However, he said, “You have to look at each case individually and take a good, hard look at it, and I tried to do that and be objective, not biased. Because I’ve designed both (monopole and DAS), and I believe there are places for one and there are places for others.” Asked for his professional opinion about the Midland Park location, Pierson said he did not think this was an appropriate place to use DAS. “I think you’ve got too much going on here to be relying on solely, for almost all your coverage for carriers, to be from DAS.” Graiff then added his testimony to the record. The engineer acknowledged that he is “not a tremendous fan of DAS,” but pledged to be objective. Graiff began by stating (continued on page 15) �� 2-23-11 Joan/Janine