'Can You Hear Us Now?': Noyac Residents Rally Against Proposed Cell Tower

As they did two years ago, neighbors gathered in front of a Southampton Town Highway Department barn at the end of Club Lane in Noyac to protest a proposal to build a cell tower there.

About 35 people took part in the protest on Sunday, some holding signs reading “No Cell Tower in Our Residential Neighborhood with Children,” “Just Say No,” and “Fight the Tower.”

Sharon Bakes, who lives at the corner of Club Lane and Wildwood Road, led the group in chants. “No tower in a residential community!” and “No power to the tower!” she shouted, as the rest rejoined, “Cell No!”

Ms. Bakes said earlier this week that the group did not expect it would have to mobilize again to stop construction of a cell tower on the town-owned property. Two years ago, the Town Board scuttled plans to let Elite Communications build a tower at the site. But late last month, SBA Communications, which has an exclusive contract to build cell towers on town-owned land, revived the proposal.

Neighbors protesting this week said the town only canceled the deal with Elite after being informed by SBA that it had the right of first refusal, but Councilman Tommy John Schiavoni, who serves as the community’s liaison on the board, disagreed, telling the Noyac Civic Council on November 17 that the board had heard the community’s objections.

“We heard loud and clear from the immediate community that it was not a suitable site,” he said.

Ms. Bakes said the group opposed the tower for a number of reasons, from concerns about possible health effects, worries a tower could fall onto a neighbor’s house, and belief a tower would lower property values.

Mr. Schiavoni said he, too, was surprised that SBA had proposed a new cell tower for the property, pointing out that when its representatives appeared before the Town Board on October 29, he expected them to present a list of suitable sites for tower construction in the eastern half of the town.

Instead, he said, “They really zeroed in on this piece of property,” citing gaps in service and the convenient location of the town highway property. “This company really believes this is the best place to do it,” he said. “I’m not sure about that.”

The councilman also said he was dissatisfied with the contract the town agreed to with SBA in 2001, calling it one-sided and unfair.

“It’s just shocking that the Town of Southampton can only use one company to put up a cell tower,” he said.

He said the town signed the deal in 2001 and every time it signs a deal with SBA for a new tower, the contract is automatically extended for another 30 years.

He said he found it hard to believe that a decision by a prior town board could tie future boards’ hands for perpetuity.

“They are lucrative,” he said of towers. “They make money for the company and they should make money for the landlord, too.” A typical tower would bring in $120,000 to $130,000 in revenue for the town a year, he said, and it would be in the town’s best interest to solicit several bids for each tower.

Mr. Schiavoni said before the town moves forward with any new towers, it needs to have a better understanding of where they are most needed and what are the best properties to build them on.

He said that both Sag Harbor and North Haven villages have been weighing cell tower proposals, and it would be wise for the town to consult with them so efforts are not duplicated.

Sag Harbor cut a deal with Verizon allowing it to place antennas in the cupola of the Municipal Building. The village also signed off on radio station WLNG’s request to install a mobile cell tower at its property on Redwood Road. The station is also contemplating adding permanent cell antennas when it replaces its aging broadcasting antenna.

North Haven recently began working with cellular carriers as it studies possible locations for a tower.