Deal To Remove 5G Cell Towers In Point Pleasant Beach Finalized

POINT PLEASANT BEACH, NJ — The partially constructed 5G cell towers in Point Pleasant Beach should be gone before the end of October, under a settlement that has been finalized with the company that put them up, Borough Mayor Doug Vitale said.

Vitale, in a message posted on his mayoral Facebook page, said borough officials have signed the settlement reached with Munisite, the firm that had started putting up the towers in the spring after receiving approvals in December 2023. The four poles that have been partially built will be removed by the end of October, he said.

He also provided details on some of the considerations that went into the settlement decision.

The approvals that resulted in the installation of the poles to begin with "came from the Borough’s former construction official and former Borough Engineer," Vitale said, and were not presented to the Borough Council and mayor, "which I believe should have occurred."

The council and mayor — which have been roiled by conflict over multiple issues since Vitale took the oath of office in January — were united in opposing the poles.

"Three options were presented to us," Vitale said, referring to the Borough Council and him. "The first option was to go to court with Munisite. This could have led to the poles staying up for the duration of the case, possibly years."

"The Borough also stood to incur damages to Munisite for requiring the removal of the poles despite having prior approvals," he said.

"The second option was to continue to work with Munisite to redesign the existing poles and any future poles, Vitale said. "The governing body decided it was not in the best interest of the Borough to continue an ongoing open-ended access agreement with Munisite."

The final option was negotiating the settlement, which he said was "considerably the best option, as it would provide for immediate removal of the poles and termination of the Munisite access agreement."

He said the $300,000 payment to Munisite for what the company spent on the partial installation of the poles "was considerably lower than the original demand presented to the Borough and reflects the diligent negotiations pursued by the Borough Attorney and Special Counsel."