The Town Council formalized its opposition to the proposal to place a cell tower at the Armory, while finding out a final decision on the project is not likely for at least six months.

The proposal, which would involve a 150-foot tower from T-Mobile on Armory grounds, has ignited opposition from many in the neighborhood and Council members, who unanimously passed a resolution calling on the state to not allow the cell tower. The resolution centers on the site's location to the Stoneleigh Park historic district, along with the proximity to three schools and a large residental population. The meeting drew a large crowd of Armory neighborhood residents, many wearing stickers opposing the tower.

"We are strongly opposed to the proposal to construct a 150-foot cell tower at the Armory," said Councilman Keith Loughin, who co-sponsored the resolution with Councilman Jim Foerst.

In the resolution, Loughlin and Foerst outlined issues surrounding the proximity to the historic zone, which is not allowed under state cell tower siting guidelines. In addition they highlighted the negative impact on property values, along with the tower's ability to become the tallest structure in Westfield.

Under state law, the Council cannot block a land use decision by a county, state or federal agency on land that agency owns in town. The situation is similar to the construction of the county public safety building on North Avenue.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) and Assemblyman Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield), both cell tower opponents attended the meeting to brief residents and Council members on current state action. They said the proposal is currently before the historic preservation division of the state Department of Environmental Protection for review, a process which will likely take six months. They said the decision will likely go before the Statehouse Commission, a state panel that governs policies and programs on state buildings and grounds. Both Bramnick and Kean serve as members of the Statehouse Commission.

Kean said he has been aggressively lobbying state Adjutant General Glenn Rieth, who runs the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs which owns the Armory, to block the tower. One of Kean's calls to Rieth came while the state's top military official was visiting troops in Bosnia.

"We will take whatever steps we have to stop the cell tower," Bramnick said.

Most of the residents attending the meeting declined to address the Council after the resolution was passed. Dan Leavitt, a spokesman for the group, explained to the Council that they are pleased with the decision and hope it can help block the tower.

Leavitt said that residents would like to see the tower blocked mainly for property value issues, along with health issues. At the same time, Leavitt noted that federal law prohibits blocking cell towers for public health reasons.

"We cannot afford to wait 20 years," Leavitt said. "We have children in ourneighborhood who have special needs. We cannot expose them to cancerous conditions."