The Village of Massapequa Park has voted to hold a public hearing next month about a possible new cell tower.
Massapequa Park Mayor James Altadonna told those in attendance at the Board meeting that the Village has been in negotiations with Nassau County to buy a piece of land on Sunrise Highway, west of the station.
The mayor said they did so because the Massapequa Water District is about to do maintenence on their cell tower, which houses several cell phone carriers and communications by the Nassau County Police Department. Contracts between the Water District and the carriers are set to expire according to Altadonna.
"With the carriers coming off the water tower, along with the Nassau County Police, there will be no coverage within the village," the mayor said. He later told Patch that the Water District assured him there would be no interruption in police service.
The mayor said that with negotiations between the water distict and carriers stalled, the village faces loss of service in September.
"We felt that we had no choice, he said." "We had to get involved."
Altadonna said that cell phone carirers have been looking at other locations, but he was concerned that any other locations would be too close to residential areas.
Instead, the village would like to acquire the county land.
"We want to get a centrally located solution, in a commercial area," Altadonna said.
The hearing takes place August 13, at 8 p.m. and while the mayor expressed a hope for a last minute deal that will keep carriers on the water tower, he said the Village has come up with a workable solution.
"It's sticking with what we've said all along, we're in favor of technology, just not in residential areas," the mayor said.
Meanwhile the village board also voted to schedule a a public hearing, at the August 13 meeting, to hold a hearing on a possible ammendment to strengthen a law that restricts convicted sex offenders from living within a certain distance from schools.
