LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i County Planning Commission took no action Wednesday on whether to allow AT&T Mobility and its parent company New Cingular Wireless PCS to build an 80-foot cell phone tower in Kilauea. William Keoni Fox of Ali‘i Wireless
LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i County Planning Commission took no action Wednesday on whether to allow AT&T Mobility and its parent company New Cingular Wireless PCS to build an 80-foot cell phone tower in Kilauea.
William Keoni Fox of Ali‘i Wireless Specialists in Kane‘ohe said after hearing the opposition, the company prefers to do more community outreach before the county takes action on its request. He plans to start with the Kilauea Neighborhood Association meeting on Tuesday.
Fox presented to KNA in March 2011 after sending letters to property owners around the proposed project. He said four out of nearly 90 present were opposed to it at the time.
“There were so few people who spoke out against it that I made a professional decision to move ahead with our plans,” Fox said.
Fox requested a deferment of action until the next April 9 commission meeting, saying he would address the inaccurate information going around about the project. He wants to return with former opponents in support of the project.
Tom Picket, a Kilauea business owner, said the KNA minutes from the March 2011 meeting were vague, but state that AT&T planned to return and present its plan once they acquired a lease.
“We haven’t heard from them, and we ask to defer this action until they can present the application at a KNA meeting,” Picket said.
The tower would have 12 panel antennas and be situated on approximately 13.2 acres of land along Kilauea Lighthouse Road next to Kilauea Christian Academy and a Japanese cemetery. It requires a use permit, a Class IV zoning permit and a variance to go beyond maximum height limits for structures.
Commissioner Amy Mendonca suggested that Fox use this opportunity to start the project again from scratch.
Fox provided a history of the project, noting the original tower was designed as a temporary structure following Hurricane ‘Iniki. It is sharing a county easement, has antiquated equipment and its size and condition does not allow for improvements, he said.
As of now, the service allows for up to 30 calls, including texts and Internet use. This creates a hazard for emergency use and is not possible to upgrade to 4G service with the rest of the island, he said.
The commission passed a motion from Director Michael Dahilig to close the hearing with the applicant’s agreement to waive a right to action on the agenda item within 60 days. This avoids a situation where the commission would be required to take mandatory action if the applicant has not completed their outreach prior to the meeting, he said.
“We were hoping that they would make a decision,” said Lori Patch, an opponent of the project. “I find it interesting that AT&T said they needed more time when they started all of this in 2011, and they have had two years to notify the community and do their due diligence.”
Dahilig noted there were 13 letters or communications in support of the tower, while there were 29 received that opposed the project.
Deputy County Attorney Ian Jung said that according to Hawai‘i law, the public is allowed to testify to the agenda item at the next hearing.
There were nine individuals at the meeting to testify. The opponents shared concern about possible health effects of a tower in town.
Kathleen Beverly, a resident of Kilauea town, said she favors an improved rural service. The opponents present ridiculous accusations about possible harmful effects that are not based on facts, she said.
When families have an emergency, or when people on the beaches are in trouble, they will want reliable cell phone service when calling the responders, she said.
“Cell phone towers save people’s lives,” Beverly said. “They do not kill people.”
Felicia Cowden, a Kilauea Road resident, said she opposed a monopine cell tower as bad for the economics of the neighborhood and asked the commission to deny the variance and other permits. She said the North Shore Development Plan Ordinance states the 25-foot height limit in all districts.
“The language requires prior review and recommendation by the North Shore Improvement Advisory Committee,” she said. “This has not happened.”
Thomas Patch said the tower violates zoning code ordinances of the North Shore Development Plan. He added that possible medical hazards also make this a moral issue.
Patch said that as a cancer survivor she is concerned about electromagnetic radiation. A tower of this type should be on the mountain and not in town, she said.
The proposed location is about convenience of access for the company, Patch said. The land is designated for agricultural residence and is being used by a church, that is in turn leasing to a phone company, she said.
Garretti Purdue said the tower violates zoning, and is not appropriate to have a near playground, schools and homes.
“There is also fragile wildlife that would be greatly effected because it is already in danger,” she said.
Hope Kallai said this could be a human rights issue with a marginalized population. She said an environmental impact study with public hearings is needed to reveal possible adverse effects on Kilauea’s rural character, people and other species. The Hawaiian Hoary Bat in the nearby sanctuary relies on echo location, she said.
