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Board denies proposed Greendale cell tower

Posted at 9:37 PM, Feb 07, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-07 23:20:13-05

After protests and petitions by residents, a proposed cell tower in Greendale has been denied.  Hugs, cheers, and tears filled the village of Greendale board meeting after the vote came down.

"We would have likely moved. If this tower would have been built we would have moved," said Julie Lewandowski, who opposed the cell tower.

"I told my husband we're moving, so they did the right thing," said Elaine Unger, who opposes the cell tower.

A lot of people spoke about the health concerns and declining property value if the 100-foot tower was built on the property of St. Stephen the Martyr Lutheran Church.

The church had previously released a statement saying there was no definitive data to link either of those issues to cell towers. But the one resident who spoke in support of the tower was met with almost no backing from the crowd.

State law gives local governments little authority to block the cell phone towers as long as they meet basic safety requirements. The board president says he knows a lawsuit could be next.

"It hasn't been said to us one way or another, but that is what we hear, it's a possibility," said Village President Jim Birmingham.

However, the agent planning to lease the tower to T-Mobile says he has to talk to his clients before they decide what to do.

"Do you think what they did was illegal?" asked reporter Rebecca Klopf.
"I can't make a comment on that,"  Darren Snodgrass, TNG Wireless.

The board says the company could also simply reapply. 

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