Letters

East Brunswick must not become jumble of cell towers

Cingular, Verizon, Nextel, T-Mobile, Sprint, Qwest are some of the well-known cellular service providers. There are also less well-known carriers that are used mostly by commercial enterprises. And by law, more than one of them must be allowed to compete in the same geographical area. Each one requires its own set of towers.

But because the carriers are on different frequency bands, and cell phone ranges vary with the band, some companies’ antenna towers must be closer together than others.

It is a fact that T-Mobile is on a different frequency band than say Verizon, and the T-Mobile band has a smaller range so its antennas have to be closer. The rules of physics compete with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) spectrum licenses.

Another carrier, Omnipoint, now wants to “improve” its service in East Brunswick. Maybe a seventh, etc., will come along soon. How much of our landscape should consist of cell towers of competing providers? In general these towers are aesthetically distasteful and could bring down property values.

That’s not Omnipoint’s concern. It wants to be in East Brunswick and wants its towers. And when no local business or the township would allow the company to use their land (“Omnipoint Defends Use of Parcel for Tower,” Sentinel, May 26) they found one prospective supplier, unfortunately for them located in an area zoned for OP-2 (office professional).

No problem — get the Zoning Board to change its requirements from at least 1,000 feet from a residence to 150 feet. If Omnipoint gets away with this one, the next carrier that comes along may want to put its tower in the high school football stadium.

There should be a cell-tower plan incorporated into the town master plan so the town doesn’t become a hodgepodge of towers as subscription increases and the carriers need to put the towers closer together to fit more subscribers. And the locations should minimize property-value loss and zoning infractions while maximizing the bang for the buck.

A possible solution would be for East Brunswick to “eminent domain” the land for the township to put up the towers and make the carriers pay a hefty fee, leasing space on the towers.

Kenneth Streisand

East Brunswick

Parent disheartened by remarks at awards dinner

I would like to thank Cathy Varicalla and the Monroe Township High School Booster Club. The club honored the senior athletes at a recent awards dinner at the Battleground Country Club. The speeches by the administration, staff and athletes were inspirational, personable and humorous. I would like to congratulate all of the athletes on their hard work and dedication.

They are all students at Monroe Township High School, which they should be very proud of — I was, as a student at the high school. We do not all live in Monroe Township, though; after 26 years, we should not have to remind anyone of that, especially the mayor of Monroe Township. Many of us sitting at the awards dinner live in Jamesburg. I live in Jamesburg. I am the Jamesburg representative to the Monroe Board of Education, and have been for nine years. We all work very hard together to make the transition into Monroe High School a smooth one for all the students.

It is very disheartening to sit there and listen to the mayor repeatedly refer to growing up in Monroe, going through the Monroe Township school system, coming back to live in Monroe to raise a family after college. These remarks are insensitive and inappropriate. I realize he is the mayor and he is proud of his town. I am proud of my town. I grew up in Jamesburg, went to college, and came back to raise my family. He isn’t at a political fund-raiser, addressing his constituents. He is at a high school event, a school which we pay a great deal of money to attend, and contribute to — not only in athletics, but in academics, dramatics, vocals and band, and every aspect of the school. As an adult and parent, I felt extremely offended by these comments. I can only imagine how disconnected it makes the children feel.

I would like to once again congratulate all the students of Monroe Township High School for their excellent achievements this year. Whether you grew up in Jamesburg or Monroe, always be proud, and always treat people with respect and kindness.

Patrice Faraone

Jamesburg

Rid government of specially created jobs, inflated salaries

I recently read the many articles on public employees’ benefits, regarding local and state government.

It makes my blood boil when I know that the majority of hard-working, dedicated employees may be sacrificed for those people who have abused the system. I am addressing the Social Security, pension and health-care issues.

Why not take a look at those inflated salaries and positions specially created by the politicians for those who do not deserve them nor have any right to them? Of course, health benefits go along for the ride.

That’s the game — to pay back favors. I, as a retired public employee, know how it works, and I have seen it with my own eyes.

These issues are rampant in the federal, state and local government. Let’s look at the people who have caused the mayhem and put a stop to it. If corporate America can clean house and hold people responsible, so can government.

Leave the pensions alone for the people who came to work every day and did their jobs for 25-30 years. Once and for all, get rid of the graft, the no-shows and the created positions and inflated salaries with health benefits thrown in.

Jerk the Golden Fleece retirement plans from under those senators and congressmen. Put them on Social Security with the rest of us, then sit back and watch how fast they would fix the system.

Mary A. Tonachio

East Brunswick

Until usage changes, Hooters’ patrons reinforce vulgarity

The word “hooters” is often used as a vulgar term relating to women’s breasts.

The opinions put forward by those who approve of this word being used for the name of a restaurant that would be publicly displayed on a busy commercial and residential highway for marketing and sales purposes are, in my opinion, wrong.

Sex sells. In context, those who patronize such establishments only reinforce this vulgarity and its image. Until the current usage of the word “hooters” in the English language changes, opinions that have offered pseudo-sociological comments on the objectification of women and the realization of “empowerment” (it all sounds so good) have no principled basis.

And as for those who frequent these establishments, the presumption is made that they and their families are some sort of benchmark to whom the rest of us should take heed. They are not.

The township’s economic development of Route 18 is less than exemplary. Politicians and the township administration ought to be raising their standards so that their decisions do not impact negatively on all of the people and communities they serve.

Antoinette Drago

East Brunswick