District: No Cell Tower At San Remo Property

came to an end Tuesday evening with a unanimous vote by the Kings Park Board of Education not to proceed with the project.

Opponents of the project filled the high school cafeteria, including a lawyer who was working with surrounding homeowners and was prepared to speak against supporting the project. Those speeches turned out to be unnecessary as the board took the step of moving talk of the cell tower to the top of the agenda and polled each member, all who voted against moving forward.

“I have read a lot of reports over the last few weeks. In my mind there just wasn’t enough information for me to be comfortable that we wouldn’t have an issue down the road with health issues,” said board trustee Tom Locascio.

. Representatives from Suffolk Wireless Communication, the company that would build the tower, had provided the board with revenue estimates of However, some residents were not convinced, prompting emails and calls to the district.

Ariella Werner, who about her concerns surrounding the project, was present at Tuesday evening's meeting and said she was “thrilled” with the board’s decision.

“I am proud to say they are our school board,” said Werner. “A big fear has been taken away. I feel a sense of relief,” she said.

The San Remo area has been called a dead zone for cell coverage, prompting the consideration of a tower in the area.

“I don’t disagree that Kings Park needs a cell tower, I just don’t think that the school is the place for it, said Marie Goldstein, vice president of the board. “It would be great to have the money, I’m just not willing to raise my hand for that risk.”