Massapequa Park OKs cellphone transmitters

Massapequa Park officials have finalized agreements for nine pole-top transmitters installed in the village last year to enhance cellphone reception.

The board of trustees voted 4-0 Monday, with one trustee absent, to approve the right-of-way agreements with NextG Networks wireless communications company, which has offices in Queens, for improved MetroPCS service in the area.

NextG installed boxes on utility poles on Third Avenue, Monroe Street, Atlantic Avenue and other locations. The company must get village approval for any more boxes along rights of way, Massapequa Park officials said.

Some residents at Monday's meeting expressed concerns similar to those voiced earlier this month at a public hearing in Muttontown, one of several villages where Houston-based Crown Castle has proposed an antenna network.

Lynne Wittenberg, who lives with her family near a transmitter on Monroe Street, said they are worried about the aesthetics of the boxes, their property value being lowered and possible health hazards.

"They're ugly," Wittenberg said of the boxes. "But that's not the problem. The problem is radio frequency."

Mayor James Altadonna Jr. said he would look into inspecting the boxes as Garden City officials have done for devices in their area.

"That's not too big a challenge if it's a couple hundred dollars and we can do it maybe twice a year," Altadonna said. "You're living with it, so you deserve to have some peace of mind."

Massapequa Park will receive as much as $5,000 in annual payments from NextG, Altadonna said.