New Canaan residents say they want their
voices heard when it comes to their issues with a proposed cell tower. That
tower would be over 100 feet high and sit in a public wooded area, next to an
elementary school and homes.
Officials Tuesday
visited the proposed site of the tower. One neighbor said she's stayed away
because she didn't think she could control her emotions.
The tower would
stand in a wooded area next to West Elementary School and a number of homes.
Neighbors say they fought a proposal for a tower
five years ago and are determined to do the same this time around.
The project would be built by a Danbury company
and carriers, including Verizon, would use it.
People News 12 spoke with say they think it will
be not only unsightly, but dangerous as well.
"I burst into
tears, because I was literally thinking this little boy is going to go to school
under this tower, where he has no choice, he has to go to school, five days a
week for six hours a day, and then he's going to come home and he's going to
sleep under this tower," said Meaghan
Kupchak.
According
to town officials, the tower would have 5G antennas, but 5G service would not
start for years.
"I just hope
our town council realizes these are your neighbors you are potentially
endangering the safety of children," said Kupchak.
There will be a
public meeting about the issue Wednesday at 6 p.m.
A spokesperson for
Verizon said, "We know New Canaan relies on Verizon. We constantly invest in
our network to deliver our customers the quality experience and reliability
they expect and deserve. As more people are doing more things, in more places
with more internet-connected devices, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in voice
and data traffic on our network. We only expect that trend to increase. This
site would provide 4G LTE and 5G Nationwide services that would improve both
coverage and capacity — particularly important now and into the future, as many
residents continue to depend on reliable broadband service to work, learn and
relax at home.
In addition, all of our network equipment operates within FCC
guidelines. For more information, please visit
wirelesshealthfacts.com."