Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • July 27, 2011 Franklin Lakes T-Mobile may locate monopole on church property by Frank J. McMahon The T-Mobile Northeast LLC wireless communications monopole that was originally proposed for a location behind the Urban Farms Shopping Center on Franklin Lake Road in Franklin Lakes may find a home on the grounds of the Church of the Most Blessed Sacrament. The church is located at the intersection of Franklin Lake Road and High Mountain Road, and is across the street from the shopping center’s High Mountain Road entrance. T-Mobile has been seeking approval from the board of adjustment to locate the monopole at the shopping center. However, the board’s last public hearing of the application was postponed when T-Mobile’s attorney Gregory Meese advised Zoning Board Attorney Robert Davies that he has discussed the location of the monopole with Mayor Frank Bivona, who indicated that he has had some encouraging discussions with the church regarding the placement of the proposed tower on church property. “Given the mayor’s personal involvement in this matter, and his statement to me that he is optimistic that the church will consent to a lease with T-Mobile, T-Mobile is inclined to give him another 30 days to try to reach an agreement,” Meese wrote. Meese also confirmed to Davies that the parties involved have mutually consented to an extension of time during which the zoning board must act on the application through Aug. 18, which is in accordance with the Telecommunications Act of 1996 as interpreted by the Federal Communications Commission and the New Jersey Municipal Land Use Law. Bivona announced at the council’s May meeting that he and Borough Administrator Gregory Hart have been trying to find a better location for the monopole that would be more aesthetically pleasing to residents. The borough’s zoning board cancelled the T-Mobile hearings scheduled for June and July pending the results of the borough’s effort to relocate the proposed monopole. T-Mobile applied to the borough’s zoning board for approval construct a 130-foot high wireless communications monopole adjacent to the Urban Farms Shopping Center’s northwest rear building wall. The applicant has presented testimony before the board from engineering, site acquisition, and planning experts. The radio frequency engineer for T-Mobile described the coverage gaps the proposed monopole is intended to fill along the High Mountain Road corridor and to the north of the site. He also explained that the monopole at Ramapo High School cannot cover the gaps in the T-Mobile signal transmission because of the terrain. T-Mobile’s site acquisition consultant also described the efforts he made to find an appropriate location for the monopole. He explained that he and his project manager had contacted borough officials by e-mail in 2010 about potential municipally-owned sites such as the firehouse or McBride Field on Franklin Lake Road before reaching a structured deal with the Urban Farms Shopping Center. Meese also pointed out that the McBride Field location was investigated as a reasonable location for the monopole. But he explained, at the time, that while the pastor of the Most Blessed Sacrament Church was contacted and expressed interest in locating the monopole on church property, the Archdiocese of Newark was only interested in potential monopole sites in urban parishes. Other entities, including the Indian Trail Club and the Franklin Lakes Board of Education were also contacted, but T-Mobile claimed it received no response to those inquiries. The zoning board will now await the results of the discussions with the Church of the Most Blessed Sacrament and the Archdiocese of Newark. Birthday wishes Residents, family and friends recently came together at The Allendale Community for Mature Living to celebrate a special milestone birthday: Helen Cleary, a resident of The Atrium, turned 105. Fellow residents joined Allendale Mayor Vince Barra and Helen’s nephew James in celebrating the momentous occasion. Cleary, a lifelong resident of Franklin Lakes, moved to the borough with her family via a horse-drawn wagon in 1910. The youngest of seven, she often reminisces about swimming in the Ramapo River as a child, and her career as an executive secretary for The Delineator, a fashion, culture and fine arts journal. An accomplished pianist, Cleary once served as the organist for St. Elizabeth’s Church in Wyckoff and continues to perform for fellow residents at The Atrium.