Forest preserve fights Naperville's cell tower plans

Plans to install a 154-foot cell tower near the edge of the Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve in Naperville are irking forest preserve officials.

"If we wanted cell towers on or near our property, we would have done it ourselves," forest preserve board President Dewey Pierotti said.

Pierotti is upset that Naperville plans to build the tower next to a fire station at 87th Street and Plainfield-Naperville Road - a two-acre parcel the forest preserve sold to the city 23 years ago for about $57,000 so the fire station could be built.

"Everyone wants our property, but they came to us simply for public safety and we sold it to them and all of a sudden they're going to put a second use on the property," Pierotti said. "We did this as a favor, as a courtesy, to the people of Naperville."

Naperville officials say the tower is needed for public safety equipment, but it also will be leased to two phone companies.

"Things change in 20 years," said Dan Voiland, the city's telecommunications manager. "It's mainly for our new emergency radio system, but we will lease it out to a couple other vendors. We've tried to make it as aesthetically pleasing as possible"

The going rate for cell tower leases in Naperville is about $2,200 a month, city officials said. The new tower could generate more than $50,000 a year for the city.

The monopole design features no support wires or lights, but forest preserve officials still worry the thin pole could be a hazard to migratory birds. Pierotti said it's especially dangerous next to Springbrook Prairie because it's designed to be a haven for ground-nesting birds.

"It's an unnatural structure that can cause migratory birds and birds of prey to become disoriented when flying through the area or around the structure," said Erik Neidy, the forest preserves manager of natural resources.

The city's plan commission held a public hearing on the proposal last week. It is expected to discuss the project again at its May 20 meeting.

Forest preserve attorney Paul Mitchell said the tower is slated to be 25 feet from the prairie and the city will need a variance because it will be installed less than 300 feet from a residential neighborhood.

"Our position always is that this project wouldn't have a prayer of getting approved except that the petitioner is the city," Mitchell said.

Pierotti said the proposal is making forest preserve officials rethink "any other applications from other taxing bodies for forest preserve land."