Nearly a dozen Methuen residents are speaking out against a proposed 130-foot Verizon Wireless monopole project, citing concerns around health, safety and decreased property values, reported the Eagle-Tribune, but some want to fix “a significant gap in service” in the area. The site’s projected location is 113 Hampstead Street near the Plantation Bar and Grill.
One group of residents created a Facebook page and signed a petition with the name “Citizens Against Cell Towers outside Children (sic) Bedrooms” that was presented to the Methuen Zoning Board of Appeals.
“I have a young child,” resident Jeff Parino said. “What this also does to everyone in that neighborhood is destroys their property value. Nobody wants to live next to a cell phone tower, nobody wants to live under high-tension wires because of the dangers and the way it looks.”
Another resident, Michael Wallace, urged Verizon to locate the tower elsewhere. “I’d like them to continue to search,” for a location, Wallace said. “I don’t think it’s a safe area to put a cell tower.”
Verizon requested a variance from the Zoning Board because the tower exceeds height restrictions and Zoning Board Chairman Matthew D’Agostino, who lives near the proposed site, is in favor of the project. “The phone coverage is horrible; it’s not just bad, it’s horrible. I only have a landline because I can’t depend on my cell phone,” D’Agostino said.
As the project continues through the Community Development Board seeking a special permit, two balloon tests have been scheduled, reported the Tribune.
May 2, 2018
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