AT&T to move Mililani Mauka antenna
By James Gonser
Advertiser Central Bureau
MILILANI MAUKA — A conditional agreement has been forged between angry Mililani Mauka residents and telecommunications company AT&T Wireless Services Inc. to move a cellular telephone antenna away from homes within the next few months.
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"If all goes well the antenna will be gone in 90 days," said Puneki Way resident Sue Mondo.
Mililani Mauka resident Sue Mondo was concerned about the possible health risks of an AT&T antenna 20 feet from her home, so she and her neighbors fought to have it moved farther away.
City Councilwoman Rene Mansho brought the groups together last week, and a compromise was reached to move the antenna about 1,000 feet from homes, avoiding further confrontations and possible litigation, and promising an end to some 10 months of controversy.
The 57-foot antenna was installed last September next to a VoiceStream antenna after the city granted a conditional-use permit. But the antenna is only about 20 feet from Mondo's home, and neighbors worry about possible health risks from radio frequency and electromagnetic fields.
Some lawsuits allege that exposure to cellular phone, or radio frequency, radiation leads to an increased risk of cancer, and the Federal Communications Commission says it is a factor that must be considered before a facility, operation or transmitter can be authorized.
With the increased use of cellular phones, companies have been placing antennas throughout the Islands to provide service. AT&T consultant Keith Kurahashi, of Kusao and Kurahashi Inc., said the emissions were tested at the site by a private consultant who found only about 1 percent of the allowable federal exposure limits.
Residents disputed that claim and collected more than 300 signatures on a petition to remove the antenna from the residential area.
During sometimes emotional testimony before the city Planning Commission, several residents said the antenna was put up illegally because permits were improperly issued and asked that the company's special-use permit be rejected.
The commission postponed a decision on the issue several times, leaving residents frustrated. One resident subsequently called Mayor Jeremy Harris on his weekly radio show, told him about the situation and secured the mayor's commitment to have the planning department reject AT&T's permit request.
Mansho said she was worried that revoking AT&T's permits could lead to litigation, so she intervened to help find a solution. "I asked the mayor to wait until a meeting was held," Mansho said.
All sides came together Thursday and decided the antenna could be moved to either the planned Mililani Mauka District Park on Meheula Parkway or to the city's nearby park-and-ride facility.
The final decision is subject to approval by both the Mililani and Mililani Mauka neighborhood boards. The issue will be discussed at their meetings this month.
"AT&T is happy because it is a good spot for their transmission," Mondo said. "We are happy because it is so far away from any residents. The city is happy because it can be settled without a lawsuit."
Lissa Guild, public relations manager for AT&T, said the process of going before the boards and back to the planning commission must be completed, but the plan could work to everyone's benefit.
"It is important to us to be a good community partner," Guild said.
Mililani Mauka resident Glen Shigeta said AT&T has also agreed to allow other cellular companies to share their antenna site, limiting the number needed in the area.
