Old Westbury trustees cite slow responses for cell node delay

Amelia Camurati
Cell nodes are installed on existing or new utility poles and emit radio frequencies that boost cell phone service.

The Old Westbury Board of Trustees held a shorter than planned meeting Monday when Crown Castle International Corp. representatives failed to attend the public hearing.

With Mayor Fred Carillo absent, the board had a quorum of four, but Crown Castle attorney Robert Gaudioso asked for the hearing to be continued to the Nov. 20 meeting because “the board would not be fully constituted,” Deputy Mayor Marina Chimerine read from a letter to trustees from Gaudioso.

“That is an incorrect statement,” Chimerine said. “We received the documentation that we requested only this Friday. We sent it to our engineers for review immediately. If they had been here, we were more than ready to go forward. We have a quorum here.”

During the Aug. 21 and Sept. 18 meetings, trustees requested updated maps with marked locations for the 22 potential sites where the company proposes to install cell nodes  around Old Westbury. Many addresses were incorrect for the presentation at the August meeting. Chimerine said the new documents were only submitted to the village on Friday.

Crown Castle, which has a contract with the village dating back to 2010, has proposed installing 11 cell nodes on existing utility poles and 11 on new poles. Orange stakes mark the sites of proposed new poles and orange ribbons mark existing poles.

The nodes would provide service for Verizon Wireless, but Gaudioso said the facilities would be usable by any cell service carrier that wanted to expand its service in the village later.

Crown Castle is also involved with litigation across Nassau County, including lawsuits filed by Crown Castle against the Town of Hempstead and Town of Oyster Bay. Village Attorney Michael Sahn said while they are following the litigation, Old Westbury is in a different situation because of the contract.

“Governing law in this instance is federal law, not state or local law,” Sahn said. “We’re bound by federal law, and also we have our own contractual relationship, which, in my estimation, gives the village more leeway and discretion in approving these new locations than if we had no agreement. Then we’d only be subject to federal law.”

Trustee Edward Novick said any residents with questions or concerns about the potential node sites should email village Administrator Brian Ridgway as well as Carillo and the trustees. Chimerine said trustees will be go with Crown Castle to evaluate the potential sites before voting.

Ridgway said he is working to get a map of the locations on the village website.

“I encourage residents to take note of the poles near your home and make appropriate comments,” Trustee Leslie Fastenberg said. “This is the moment to do it.”

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