Rolling Meadows residents object to cell tower in park
Some Rolling Meadows residents are pushing back against plans to install a 110-foot cell tower antenna in Kimball Hill Park that would double as a flagpole.
Central States Tower, representing Verizon Wireless, has inked a lease agreement with the Rolling Meadows Park District to construct a tower on the south end of the park, near the Cardinal Drive playground and behind the Rolling Meadows Shopping Center on Kirchoff Road. The tower would be placed next to an existing storage shed, and come with a small generator and communications and equipment building.
But the city council hasn't yet voted on a special use that would allow the 110-foot pole, and some aldermen this week said they were opposed to it. Earlier this month, the city's planning and zoning commission issued a 5-1 negative recommendation on the proposal.
City Manager Barry Krumstok said officials have been led to believe that Verizon will instead go with a 75-foot pole - the tallest it could be under city code without requiring permission from the city council.
Still, residents came to the council's committee of the whole meeting Tuesday night to express their opposition. Not everyone was opposed; one resident and three park board commissioners were there to voice support. Petitions for and against the project were also submitted.
"It's not about the cell tower. It's about its location in a city park," said Jim Roberts, who lives nearby. "It will completely ruin the look of the park."
Some residents said they also feared noise from a backup generator would be heard from nearby backyards, though Kathleen Groark, a Verizon representative, said it would be no louder than an air conditioning unit.
Park board President Donna Bisesi said Central States Tower came to the park district two years ago looking for a spot for an antenna, since there was no more room on the water tower at nearby Florey Park. The board didn't like the idea of a cell tower alone, Bisesi said, instead opting for a "stealth tower" upon which an American flag could be flown.
The park district would get $24,000 a year, under terms of the 25-year agreement with Verizon. That money, Bisesi said, would be used to support park district programming.
Alderman Laura Majikes, whose Ward 3 includes Kimball Hill Park, opposes the cell tower and asked for a temporary moratorium while city staff researches and clarifies what she called "confusing" zoning code language on antennas.
Only two other aldermen supported that moratorium - not enough for a majority. But Bisesi said the park board would consider delaying construction of a potential 75-foot tower while the city reevaluates its code over the next month.