Barnstable Planning Board voted unanimously to deny a request by T-Mobile Northeast and South Congregational Church to enter into a regulatory agreement with the town and install a personal wireless service facility inside the church steeple.



About 100 Centerville Concerned Citizens attended the Feb. 25 hearing en masse, wearing matching "DCPC" t-shirts, short for "Determined Citizens Protecting Centerville." They rejoiced at the decision, applauding loudly. But the saga will continue March 27 at the Zoning Board of Appeals.

The church at 565 Main St., Centerville is located in a District of Critical Planning Concern, a zoning designation approved by the Cape Cod Commission and designed to protect the village's historical integrity.

T-Mobile has already installed six wireless radio heads inside the church steeple and transceiver equipment in the basement, but the citizens group secured a stop-work order from the town. While the equipment is out of view, behind the belfry louvers and steeple walls, cables are visible from the church exterior.



Most of the residents who oppose the antennas do not attend South Congregational Church; nevertheless, they vehemently oppose the project – so much so, that town staff called Barnstable Police to the hearing because of the commotion.



"This is not T-Mobile's first rodeo," said Nancy Snell of Centerville; other municipalities, from Hingham to New York and California, have objected to T-Mobile's installing antenna in their neighborhoods. "There is no actual gap in service. Be not afraid," she said.



Jack Dambrosia of Centerville said the potential health risks associated with prolonged exposure to high-frequency, electromagnetic fields gives him pause – "serious pause, not only for health, but for investment."



"Somebody somewhere has to have courage and step up," Dambrosia said. "If you'll look over the course of history, that's how things get changed."



On Feb. 7, an independent review of the project by CityScape Consultants out of Boca Raton, FL found that T-Mobile had justified the need for a new radio frequency system for better indoor reception near Craigville Beach.



"CityScape did not find any other existing structures that would provide a potential solution," the review stated.



Planning board member Steve Costello asked Ruth Weil, town attorney, whether Centerville's DCPC zoning prohibits wireless use. Weil conceded that "other uses of appropriate scale and function may be considered."



Ricardo Sousa, T-Mobile’s attorney from Boston’s Prince Lobel Tye, reminded the planning board that federal law allows the carrier to obtain a use variance.



"In each case, we have followed the direction of the town, first by getting a building permit, and then requesting a use variance and regulatory agreement," Sousa said. "Reliable coverage is a significant benefit to the community. Wireless service has become ubiquitous. We developed a gap in coverage that we feel is significant. The municipality cannot prohibit the provision of wireless services."



Sousa called the DCPC designation "incredibly unique." He insisted that "the Federal Communications Act of 1996 says a city or a state cannot effectively prohibit wireless coverage; therefore, it should be granted."



At 6 percent, the projected radio emissions would be well within the FCC limits, Sousa said. "I've permitted many installations in the City of Cambridge. Church steeples are very commonly used" because they entirely conceal the wireless installations.



"My opinion is that just cell service is not enough," said planning board member Jeff Swartz. "There needs to be more public benefit out of that."



Ultimately, the board voted against the proposed regulatory agreement. The unanimous vote was in keeping with the staff findings that the use is not one of appropriate scale and function for the village.



Wireless communications are not permitted in the 7.4-acre Centerville village district so-as to protect its historic character and aesthetics, the staff findings stated. The use would impact the integrity of a building on the National Register of Historic Places, its outdoor cables "altering and obstructing architectural features" and "compromising the historic integrity of the building."



The board deemed that T-Mobile radio frequencies and signal levels are adequate in residential buildings and most of the commercial properties near Craigville Beach.



Moreover, T-Mobile's so-called "problem areas" are located in a predominately single-family residential area. The carrier offered no factual basis nor has it proven that it has no other superior location, according to the staff findings.



Bartnstable Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled to again take up the matter at the end of March.

"We were just informed by the town T-Mobile has asked for an extension for their appearance before the Zoning Board of Appeals," reads Centerville Concerned Citizens' Facebook page. "The date we need to mark on our calendar is March 27, 7 p.m. Town Hall."

The group's posts urged members to keep their yard signs in place and attend the ZBA hearing in March.

"The NO vote from the Planning Board puts T-Mobile's application back before the ZBA," the Facebook post says. "While our attorney is hopeful, he also strongly advises we appear in large numbers to reaffirm our commitment before the ZBA. Nothing is over until it is over."