Midland Park November 21, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 3 Barring a successful appeal of a Superior Court judge’s decision to allow a flagless-style cell monopole at the Sears shopping center property at 44 Godwin Ave. in Midland Park, the structure will be erected at the rear of the property. The Midland Park Zoning Board of Adjustment last week voted to have the applicant use the alternate site and to increase the height of the tower to 120 ft. to allow for four co-locators. “It’s less of an eyesore there,” said board member Daniel Brennan. “It never was right at the other location. This is the lesser of two evils,” said member Doug Feick. “The other site was an imposition on the patrons (of the shopping center) and a threat to their safety in a high traffic area.” The front location would have taken up five premium parking spaces near the Dunkin Donuts, Peter’s Fishmarket, the bagel store and Dutch Girl Cleaners, and those spaces had been relocated to the rear of the stores. In February, 2011 the board denied the joint application of T-Mobile Northeast and Verizon Wireless to erect the monopole at the Sears site, ruling that the property Board wants monopole moved to rear of site was already overburdened and would require a number of additional variances, including one for parking, if the monopole were sited at the proposed location. But last May, Superior Court Judge Menelaos Toskos reversed the decision, remanding the application to the zoning board only for site plan consideration and “the imposition of reasonable restrictions.” Richard L Schneider, Esq., representing the cell companies at last week’s board meeting, expressed his opinion that relocating the structure to the rear would “not be in accordance with the court order. The use variance and the C-variance were granted for the front – that is the location properly considered,” he said, adding later on, “We never consented to the back location.” Board members disagreed. “There is no reason not to move it. The board voted ‘no’ to a tower on that property. It never got to the point of a location,” said board Chairman Linda Herlihy. “The location meets the requirements. Parking in the rear is impractical,” said member James DeLuca, who made the motion for the relocation. He also stipulated that the monopole be a light color to blend in with the accompanying equipment compound, that the applicant work with the engineer to design appropriate screening, and that a sound study be conducted to assure that the equipment will comply with all sound level requirements. Additionally, the motion stated, all co-locators on the tower will require board approval. Member John Meeks objected to the relocation closer to the residential area, and member Glen Biswurm, a Realtor, said that property values may be affected. James Murawski, the applicants’ site plan engineer, said the equipment compound had been redesigned to accommodate three locators without affecting parking. For a fourth locator, he said, an additional 2 feet would be needed, which would eliminate one space. The zoning board’s appeal of Judge Toskos’ decision is pending. The board is being represented by Douglas Doyle, Esq. who was the attorney at the time of the decision to deny the application. The Midland Park High School Performing Arts Parents will host a Holiday Plant Sale to benefit the high school’s performing arts programs and scholarship fund. The group is selling poinsettias in red, white, or pink, Christmas cactus, Norfolk Island pine trees, and amaryllis. Plants are affordably priced and are perfect for holiday gift giving. Orders must be made by Thursday, Nov. 29 and plants will be available week of Dec. 10. Order forms are available at www.mphsarts.org/Holi- PAPs Holiday Plant Sale scheduled dayplants2012.pdf or by contacting Cheryl Boland at (201) 280-5732 or cherylshomeinteriors@msn.com. The PAPs organization is dedicated to enriching the experience of the arts for Midland Park middle and high school students, including those participating in band, chorus, theater, and broadcasting. The group serves as a liaison between parents and the administration/faculty, provides volunteers to help with programs, and spearheads fundraising events that raise money for all the performing arts programs.