SCOTCH PLAINS — Three township residents spoke to the governing body on Tuesday about a proposed cell tower that is set to be placed close to their properties at the Westfield Conservation Center on Lamberts Mill Road.
The 130-foot pole will serve multiple carriers and be located near the rear of the center, close to properties on Winding Brook Way, Jacobs Lane and Bayberry Lane. An initial idea to site the tower down the road at the Houlihan/Sid Fay soccer fields was put aside by Westfield officials.
Alice Miller, a Winding Brook Way resident, told the council at its business meeting that residents have been “nothing but insulted and treated with disrespect” by Westfield officials. Several residents attended a Westfield Planning Board meeting last week to air their concerns but, according to Mrs. Miller, they were ignored. She decried the lack of detail about the tower’s placement and asked the council for assistance.
Jacobs Lane resident Karen Langer criticized Westfield’s backing of what she described as a “monstrosity.” She said the tower — equivalent in height to a 12- to 15-story building — would negatively affect homeowners’property values. “Who will want to buy a house with this in our backyard?” Ms. Langer asked, adding, “our neighboring town is not being very neighborly” and asked the council to formally state its opposition to the tower.
Councilman Matthew Adams said he had met with some of the affected residents and was “disheartened” to hear that Westfield officials had been unresponsive to residents’ concerns. He called on Westfield “to listen to our residents.” He also criticized the lack of detail about where the tower will be placed. Mayor Joshua Losardo admitted that the bottom line is that, “it’s Westfield land,” adding that a lawsuit filed by the township against Westfield would fail, according to an opinion submitted by the township’s legal team.
The council approved seven ordinances, including one setting out salary ranges for municipal employees, another amending the township sign ordinance to allow for “Opening Soon” and “Coming Soon” signs to be placed at new developments, and another that amends garage regulations. Another ordinance sets out fees and billing procedures for the fire department’s new ambulance service, including a stipulation that no one will be denied service due to a lack of insurance or an inability to pay.
The council approved a specialuse permit for the annual St. Patrick’s Day event at the Darby Road pub on Park Avenue, which will be held Friday through Sunday, March 15 to 17. The festival, held inside the restaurant and on the adjacent hedge property, has been a yearly event — except for the pandemic years — since 2013. The PoliceAthletic League also will hold a fundraiser during the festival.
Tuesday evening’s meeting was held several hours after the storm that left a half foot of snow had ended. Township ManagerAl Mirabella lauded the public works department for a “good job” clearing the snow that afternoon, allowing for schools and some businesses to reopen on Wednesday.
The Police Department welcomed two new officers — Michael Ceceri and Donte Joyner — and announced the promotions of Brian Hayeck to lieutenant and Michael Smolinski to sergeant. Matthew Heath andAnthony Liguori were sworn in as members of the Fire Department and Daniel Hopkins was promoted to captain.
At the start of Tuesday’s meeting, Deputy Mayor Ellen Zimmerman read a proclamation declaring February as Black History month to honor “the tremendous contributions made byAfrican- Americans.”Accepting the proclamation were members of the high school’s Black Student Union, who spoke about some of their activities.
