Alec Norris, a consulting engineer for the Verizon Wireless tower project proposed for Thayer Street in Wilkes-Barre, presented photo simulations of what the 128-foot tower would look like to the Wilkes-Barre Zoning Hearing Baord Wednesday night. The board denied the application by a 4-0 vote.
                                 Jerry Lynott | Times Leader

Alec Norris, a consulting engineer for the Verizon Wireless tower project proposed for Thayer Street in Wilkes-Barre, presented photo simulations of what the 128-foot tower would look like to the Wilkes-Barre Zoning Hearing Baord Wednesday night. The board denied the application by a 4-0 vote.

Jerry Lynott | Times Leader

‘It’s a win for the little guy,’ resident opposed to project says

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WILKES-BARRE — A zoning hearing played out as a David and Goliath battle with residents of a South Wilkes-Barre neighborhood prevailing in their fight against the construction of a 128-foot high cellphone tower.

The Wilkes-Barre Zoning Hearing Board Wednesday night voted 4-0 to deny the application of Northeast Pennsylvania SMSA Limited Partnership to build the tower on leased property at 55 Thayer St.

The board heard more than two hours of testimony, some technical, on radio frequencies and radiation exposure, and impassioned pleas from the residents worried about their health, quality of life and property values if the Verizon Wireless tower was allowed for their part of town.

The decision was met with applause and statements of “Thank you” from the dozen or so people who sat through the hearing held at the Innovation Center on South Main Street, the alternate site for the fourth-floor city council chambers in City Hall made inaccessible for many due to an inoperable elevator.

John Galey of Catlin Avenue was thrilled with the vote.

“We don’t want that thing. And I’m glad the board sided with the citizens, not big business. It’s a win for the little guy,” Galey said.

“I think we made the point and they’re honest men so they did what they were supposed to do, protect the residents of Wilkes-Barre,” added Roy Van Why of Catlin Avenue.

The decision can be appealed within 30 days, but there was no indication of whether the applicant would do so.

Galey, Van Why and other neighbors opposed the tower for a residential area, asking the engineers and attorney for the applicants if they would like one in their backyards. Technically, the property owned by Newtown Realty LLC of Hanover Township spanned zones of M-1, light industrial and R-1, single family residential. But 89% of it was zoned M-1.

SMSA, that does business as Verizon Wireless, sought setback variances to locate the project closer to neighboring property lines and a special exception to erect the 123-foot monopole with a 5-foot lightning rod on top. The coverage in the area wasn’t bad, but the capacity was being strained by the usage of wireless phones, computers and devices. The site in question was chosen because it was roughly equidistant from towers outfitted with antennas in Plymouth, Edwardsville and Hanover Township.

Even though Meyers High School and Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre are nearby they don’t fall within the height necessary for the line-of-sight transmission of the existing towers, explained Andrew Petersohn, a wireless telecommunications engineer with DBM Engineering of Collegeville.

“There are no existing tall structures that could be used as an antenna support platform. And when I say tall what I really mean is tall enough,” Petersohn said.

Still, Galey and the residents, some who had cellphones with them at the hearing, asked Verizon Wireless to reconsider other locations and asked the board to hear their pleas.

”We just hope you do the right thing. You can tell obviously that we don’t want it. We have health c0ncerns, safety concerns, quality of life concerns and I’m sure none of you want this in your backyard,” Galey said.

The board also ruled on more than a dozen other applications, including allowing Diane Cowman of Second Family Memory Care Center to open an adult day care center for Alzheimer patients at 89 S. Washington St., the same complex that houses Wilkes-Barre Movies 14.

Cowman of Kingston said the capacity would be 35 patients and the hours of operation would be from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The board denied the application of T & K Deli to change a barbershop at 89 Lehigh St. into a deli store. The applicant did not provide a parking plan requested by the board.

Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.