The Wanaque Borough voted to pass an application for a T-Mobile cell tower in the woods between Lakeland Regional High School and QuickChek in October of 2023, according to an article from Chief School Administrator Mr. Hugh Beattie; however, Wanaque Borough Council wants to change the location to borough property, while the Wanaque Planning Committee debates whether to put the tower by the bleachers or in the woods. (See figure 1) The Borough’s Land Use Board approved the contract and woods location in December, but neither the Planning Committee or Land Use Board has made a final decision.
Since 2009, Lakeland’s Board of Education has had a vote in favor of a rental area with T-Mobile for construction of a cell tower. After this vote, the school district began to profit from the rental fees for the land. It is reported that the Wanaque Borough Council is in favor of a location change so that the town, rather than the school, benefits from the revenue generated in rental fees. The council has asked town members to speak out against the tower’s construction, citing health and safety concerns for students. Soon after, concerns and misinformation began to spread through social media sites, causing an abundance of concern among members of the community. Lakeland combatted these concerns and growing rumors with a letter from Superintendent Mr. Hugh E. Beatie that said, “The rent we receive from the cell tower site is not worth endangering the health and well-fare of anyone. However, as there is no identifiable risk to our students, it is a great way to gain some income to increase the programming provided to our students and to help defray the $1.4 million of your tax money we pay yearly.” These back and forth messages eventually continued until a town hall meeting was scheduled for January 17, 2024 to address the concerns.
At the town hall, the Wanaque Planning Committee discussed a location change from the bleachers to in the woods on school property. The Lancer Ledger met with Mr. Beattie, the Chief School Administrator, to ask him questions about this agreement. Mr. Beattie wanted to assure the community that any decisions he made would prioritize Lakeland’s students, and that he is certain that the cell tower will pose no concern to their health and safety.
PierCon Solutions LLC, a wireless consulting and engineering firm, put together a document for T-Mobile addressing the potential risks of the cell tower, and whether or not concern was warranted. They concluded that there was no risk from the exposure, reporting that “simultaneous operation, at maximum power, of the proposed installation and existing installations, will result in total exposure levels below the Maximum Permissible Exposure limit set by the FCC [Federal Communications Commission] for public areas. Maximum worst-case combined potential RF [radiofrequency] exposures will be at least 50.5 times below the applicable limit (1.97% of the FCC limit).” They additionally stated that indoors, the RF exposure levels would be even lower. According to their report, the cell tower poses no risk to students. (See figure 2)
Initially, few people within the school community were aware of the cell tower plans and animosity within the community, but as the plans are debated, more people are becoming aware. The Lancer Ledger reached out to staff and students vocalizing their opinions on the tower, its location, and its effects to better understand the opinions of those that would be affected. When asked if the tower should be built on Lakeland or Wanaque property, there were mixed responses. The majority of responses were in favor of Lakeland benefitting from the tower’s revenue, but some had reservations about the proximity to the school, as well as the lack of understanding of the issue to share a definitive opinion.
Medical concerns are prevalent in those aware of the issue, and T-Mobile wants to ensure no students and staff are in harm’s way because of the tower. Ms. Melissa Roush, teacher of English, emphasized the importance of conducting one’s own research about a topic before making a decision. Other teachers were more in favor, believing that the cell tower would have a good amount of benefits. One of these teachers, English teacher Ms. Laura Fucili, said, “Having better cell phone reception is a necessity at the high school, so in the long run, it might be beneficial.” Many students seem to agree with this sentiment, with senior Alisha Tumser saying, “The cell tower would help with service in case of emergencies, as well as projects and homework.” All responses confirmed that there would be no impact from the tower’s location outside of improved service for the area surrounding the school.
If the cell tower continues, the revenue brought in will be spent on improvements for the school. Mr. Beattie explained that the funds received from the rented land goes back into the district, and is spent on instructional supplies. The Lancer Ledger decided to ask students and teachers what improvements they would like to see, and the general consensus was for the additional funding to go to lesser known clubs and sports. Others would like to see improvements for the classrooms, such as updated smart boards or upgraded textbooks. Mathematics teacher, Ms. Donna Hess told the Ledger, “I believe an elevator should be installed in the annex to help students get up and down the stairs”. These improvements would allow for a more diverse learning community and a more easily accessible building for those that are disabled or impaired.
The Wanaque Planning Committee will finalize their decision for the tower’s location by February 15, 2024.
