Mililani resolution seeks end to antennas
By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer
Launani Valley residents are urging the city to deny KHON's request for a permit to build antennas in the Mililani Technology Park, about 150 feet from a church, citing health and property value concerns.
About 40 people attended last night's Mililani Mauka/Launani Valley Neighborhood Board meeting, mostly residents who worried about the station erecting antennas in the nearby tech park without permission from the city or Castle & Cooke, the owner of the park.
KHON is in the process of buying the land at the tech park.
No KHON representative was at the meeting, said board chairwoman Jeanette Nekota. "They were supposed to come, but they didn't," she said. "I don't know what happened to them."
The board approved a resolution introduced by member and Launani Valley resident Melissa Graffigna that called for removal of existing construction and rejection of the permits. The resolution also seeks to keep Castle & Cooke from selling property in its tech park for the building of any antenna, transformer, satellite or device affecting the community.
Some residents raised the issue of visual impact, saying KHON has no plans for landscaping or hiding the antennas. Some complained about the noise when KHON began building the antenna in late December without the city permit. Others said they feared potential health risks — mainly from radio frequency and electromagnetic fields — across the street from Trinity Church Central O'ahu, which is building a school.
Traffic was another worry, with residents saying KHON's building of a driveway onto Wikao Street will make for a dangerous situation because cars coming up the hill wouldn't be able to see vehicles leaving the driveway.
"It's a total disregard for their neighbors," said neighborhood board member Pam Young.
Oceanic Cable has eight transmitter satellite dishes at the park. KHON is planning on building five receiving dishes and using Oceanic's fiber-optic cable for transmission.
Reach Catherine E. Toth at 535-8103 or ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com.
