By Chad Kushins
March 14, 2012
Site Of Proposed Cell Tower - photo by Jennifer M. KleiAt the March 13th regular meeting of the Kings Park Civic Association, residents and local activists alike gathered to discuss various community topics currently addressing the Town of Smithtown. Highlights from the meeting, which was held in Kings Park High School’s Community Room, follow:
Proposed Cell Tower on Kings Park School Property
Announced last month, Suffolk Wireless Communications approached the Kings Park School District with the construction of a proposed cell phone tower, which would be erected at the district’s administration building on Lawrence Road. Amid an outpouring of community members against the project, the tower itself could yield the district up to $90,000 for the first year that all tower slots are filled and an additional three percent compounded every following year of the 30-year agreement – according to Suffolk Wireless. As the Board of Education continues to contemplate whether to allow the company to build the 125-foot monopole, those in attendance for Tuesday’s Kings Park Civic meeting stressed their concerns.
The district learned the tower, which could house up to six antennae for wireless carriers inside the pole, would be located just east of the driveway for the building on Lawrence Road. Until now, the board was considering three separate spots on the administration building property for the monopole. Now, however, the final proposal sees the tower – along with the necessary wires, cabinets, and other equipment – slated to be installed on the property of New Discovery, a child center located inside the building that has already announced that it will not be renewing its lease next year.
According to the Kings Park Board Of Education (BOE), New Discovery’s income couldn’t meet the financial needs to compensate its staff, leading to its closure; at a meeting of the Kings Park School District last week, Suffolk Wireless’ representatives explained that the Kings Park location was chosen because it does not interfere with the day-to-day operations at the administration building, as well as to maximize unused land on the property.
If approved, the Kings Park School District would evenly split revenue with Suffolk Wireless an expected $7,500 per month for the district if all of the tower’s five slots of are leased to separate cell phone service providers, $90,000 in annual revenue.
In order to move forward, a series of steps would need to take place between the district and the communications company, beginning with the district’s requirement to file with the State Education Department, which issues permits for all school district construction. Next, they would have to comply with a State Environmental Quality Review to determine additional safety concerns.
If the school board agrees to go forward with the project, construction would begin in October of this year with an expected completion date of January 2013. They are expected to vote on whether to approve the go ahead for a SEQRA review at next month’s meeting.
Blighted Home Pushed for Demolition
Hightower Homes - Photo by Jennifer M. KleiWith the developer of two blighted, uninhabited Smithtown homes currently in prison, the Kings Park Civic Association is continuing its pursuit to either have the eyesores completed and put up for sale – or demolished once and for all.
Last month, the Kings Park Civic Association sent a letter to the Town of Smithtown, urging them to take action with the properties at 79 and 81 West Main Street, on which the two defunct houses are located, officially labeled the “Hightower” homes. According to both Civic Association President Sean Lehmann and Smithtown Town Councilman Edward Wehrheim, Town Attorney John Zollo is currently looking into options.
“[The developers] started building and quickly ran into all kinds of problems,” Wehrheim told Smithtown Matters. “The Building Department went and inspected the homes and determined that a lot of work had to be done on the property.”
According to Wehrheim, the original developer sold the property to its current owner, who is now serving a four-year prison sentence for unrelated offenses. However, that incarceration left the two houses unfinished and without proper maintenance. Now, not only have the two structures become eyesores to local residents, but concerns regarding safety have quickly escalated.
“If they’re not safe, they have to take them down,” Lehmann stated at the March 13th Civics Association meeting. “That’s our position.”
According to Lehmann, the County is currently pursuing the proper avenues to take possession of the property, although a series of measure must be taken first; this includes a six-month period where the developers can catch up of back taxes; if such action isn’t, it could be an addition three years before the County can auction the land off – much to the chagrin of both Smithtown and Kings Park residents.
Last June, Wehrheim, joined by fellow Smithtown Town Board members Robert Creighton and Kevin Malloy, launched a major initiative to conduct a survey of defunct and blighted structures in town. Drawing up a master list of nineteen suitable properties, both Hightower homes easily made the cut.
Wehrheim went on to explain, “[the Town] is looking to have the developer either complete the homes or take them down … We’ve learned that the County is in the process of taking the property on a tax lean. That’s the current status.”