Community meeting held in West Islip amid residents' concern over proposed cell tower

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Over 100 West Islip residents voiced their concerns about a proposed cellphone tower that would go along the Robert Moses Causeway entrance ramp during a meeting Thursday. Developers for the project, Crown Castle, told neighbors T-Mobile and Verizon are two main parties interested as a way to improve their service in the area. After the meeting, however, neighbors say they feel questions are left unanswered. "What other locations were actually looked at by T-Mobile or by Verizon? They have not indicated why those other locations, if they truly looked at other locations, were not viable," said Maria DeGennaro, of West Islip. Dianne, of West Islip, says she feels community concerns are being ignored. "I really feel that the residents and community are taking a back seat to the concerns when this decision is going to be made by New York state," she said. The biggest concerns center around how the tower could impact health, property values, and the local environment. Willetts Point Association President John Davis says he and his neighbors are worried about what else could pop up if this project gets approved. "It's going to be very close to adjoining homes, adjoining property owners," he said. "We're concerned about the precedent this may set for similar projects along other portions of the state parkways." Crown Castle said to News 12 in a statement, "Crown Castle is in the early stages of working with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation on a proposed wireless facility that will increase wireless service to the area. We follow the New York State siting process to notify the community. The June 27th meeting is for us to gather public questions and comments to be addressed during the review process. On June 18, 2024, we provided a written Notice of Community Outreach Meeting for State and local officials to disseminate, which they did." One person in attendance did express support for the project. Most residents say they want to hear from representatives for T-Mobile, Verizon, and local elected leaders next. Public comments will be sent to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for the office to refer to as it considers the proposal. "