ExteNet and the Village of Munsey Park are now working in “a spirit of cooperation” to install a cell node, which they are considering placing on a flagpole on village property, Trustee Anthony Sabino said at Wednesday’s board of trustees meeting.
ExteNet previously sued the village when it did not address an earlier application, then withdrew the lawsuit in August and approached the village again this fall.
The flagpole the company and village are considering is in the triangle between Manhasset Woods Road and Park Avenue.
The company has yet to make a formal application, but, Sabino said, “they want this to be a collaborative effort and specifically asked us for our input.”
“That by itself is progress,” he added.
The parties are seeking to avoid placing the node directly in front of homes, the trustee said. It has to be elevated at least 50 feet, he said, so the flagpole in the triangle would have to be raised 20 feet to accommodate it.
Cooperating with ExteNet is in the village’s best interest, Sabino said.
“If we fight ExtenNet on this we will go to court and in all likelihood lose,” he said.
The board also discussed ways to limit commuters who park in the village during the workday to catch the train.
“We get complaints regularly with regard to commuters parking in the western part of our village,” said Mayor Frank Demento.
The Village of Plandome Heights has signs that limit weekday parking between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m, which Demento referenced as a model.
Sabino requested that the village be careful about not going overboard with how restrictive the rule is so as to unintentionally create conflicts for village residents.
“Commuter parking is a morning problem,” he said. “When you get into the afternoon…that’s when families are home, friends are visiting neighbors, etcetera, so I think that would have a negative impact upon residents in terms of having it go all the way to 5 o’clock.”
Trustee Lawrence Ceriello agreed that the board should be careful about how it draws the regulation.
“I have to think more about it because it will inconvenience some people,” he said. “There’s no doubt about it.”
