Ridgewood Water Weighs Options on Wyckoff Antenna Denial

After months of hearings, Ridgewood Water has won the right to place communications antennas at several of its installations in Wyckoff, although the utility did not earn approvals on all applications sought.

The Wyckoff Zoning Board of Adjustment approved six applications May 20, but voted down a seventh that would have allowed the utility to place a new pole on Franklin Avenue, just before the Franklin Lakes border. However, concern about which members were allowed to vote on the latter application prompted a revote, with Ridgewood Water falling one affirmative vote short of approval.

Ridgewood attorney Matt Rogers said May 21 that Ridgewood Water has several options going forward: accept the decision on Franklin, known as the Lawlins interconnection; appeal the decision to Superior Court; or ask the zoning board to reconsider the decision, which fell on a 4-3 vote. Five affirmative votes are necessary in approving use variances, as sought.

Rogers said a decision has not been made on how to proceed, but said Ridgewood Water likely can't accept the decision and simply move on. The installation, in front of 573 Franklin Ave., is a necessary component of the offsite communications system that the state is mandating the utility create, via the placement of new antennas.

"You want all sites to have the same system," Rogers said. "It's a necessary component of the whole thing."

Chief engineer William Mowell agreed, saying after the meeting that the technology at the site is outmoded and would need to be in communication with the rest of Ridgewood Water's sites, hence the need for a new antenna.

However, Rogers said the utility, which serves Ridgewood, Wyckoff, Glen Rock and Midland Park, would "look to work things out" with Wyckoff, as Ridgewood Water would want to "avoid litigation," if possible. He expects to confer with utility Director Frank Moritz before deciding how best to proceed.

Ridgewood Water sought the placement of a new pole to replace an existing structure on the residential street, with an antenna placed on top. It would have been 45 feet above grade, 15 to 20 feet larger than the current pole, and Mowell said it likely would be placed a foot or so closer to the roadway than the current pole.

Wyckoff zoning members Carl Fry, Erik Ruebenacker and Jim Donkersloot voted against the application, with members Mark Borst, Jerry Lombardo, Albert Costello and Chairman Doug Christie in favor. However, two votes were taken; alternates Karl Drehwing and Robert Decker initially voted in favor of the motion, providing a 6-3 margin, before board attorney Harold Cook called for a revote, saying the alternates were not eligible to vote with the full membership present.

"If I could, I would support what you're proposing," said Decker, who could not vote on any of the ensuing applications.

Cook was not available for further comment. Rogers said the attorney did the "prudent thing" from a "procedural standpoint."

While zoning members had concerns about all seven of the applications over the course of hearings that began in the fall, the Lawlins interconnection was the only application to prompt a resident's comments, back in November. Ray Farrington, a resident of 570 Franklin Ave., had expressed concern about the safety of motorists and homeowners, as Ridgewood Water's installation sits on the roadway, albeit several feet off the lane of travel. Farrington testified that he believed the site was "inherently dangerous," with a high likelihood of a motor vehicle crash at some point. Additionally, real estate expert Joe Medici, who had been retained by the board, had testified that Farrington's property value could be negatively impacted by the placement of a larger utility pole.

Fry, Donkersloot and Ruebenacker were not immediately available for comment Friday.

However, Ruebenacker voted against all seven of the applications. He told Mowell and Rogers he "appreciates their efforts" to meet the board's concerns but was "not completely sold on the communications technology," believing that underground conduits could alleviate the need for antennas.

Mowell and Rogers have testified that the antennas will allow the utility to expand its remote radio system, with the new antennas creating a network for offsite monitoring of water pressure, flow rates, tank levels, chlorine levels and the like from a facility in Midland Park. The system would allow for more efficient monitoring and operation.

Much of Thursday's testimony was spent going over various maintenance concerns at the sites, which has been a recurring issue throughout the hearing process. The board had created a "punchlist" of perceived problems, ranging from shoddy fencing to peeling paint to the existence of barbed wire at several of the sites. The board had made clear in the past that maintenance would have to be addressed before it would grant approvals on any of the applications.

Ridgewood Water was able to report that it had addressed virtually all issues on maintenance, save for some new fencing that will have to go out for bid. Board member Lombardo thanked them for their efforts but repeated criticisms he's lodged in the past, saying it's "not the job of this board to punchlist sites.

"It's your job to keep sites in order... we're not going to do your job for you," said Lombardo, who called voting for the applications a "necessary evil."