Mayor, city officials try to allay concerns over McKinley School radio tower

By Barbara Taormina

The city responded to the pushback on the 145-foot radio tower for the regional emergency call center that will be part of the McKinley School redevelopment project at this week’s City Council meeting. Mayor Patrick Keefe, Chief of Planning and Community Development Tom Skwierawski and the project team were at the meeting at the request of the council, to answer questions about the tower and its effects on the surrounding McKinley neighborhood.

Keefe introduced the project and emphasized the tower is a critical piece of infrastructure needed to assure Revere and Winthrop and Chelsea, which are part of the regional emergency call center, have an adequate public safety communications system in place. Keefe ran through a list of alternative sites that were considered for the call center, including the Beachmont Fire Station, which has no available parking, as well as several locations in Winthrop. He explained that the tower will provide backup if the system’s fiber communications are disabled and it will allow first responders to communicate when they are inside buildings in emergency situations.

“But the biggest questions you want answered are can we reduce the size, change it, can we look at another place for it. The answer is yes, yes to all of that. We are going to ask for a study. It will cost a few dollars; 911 will be paying for that and it may entail reducing the size of the tower,” said Keefe.

But Keefe also said the tower is coming. “We’re doing this site, we’re doing it for public safety, that is not up for debate,” Keefe told the council, adding, “It’s not as big and burdensome as you may think.”

Skwierawski said the study could lead to a 40-foot reduction of the tower, which could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Ward 4 Councillor Paul Argenzio said there were still significant concerns among early education teachers, who will share the McKinley building with the emergency call center, about health threats from the tower. Fire Captain Kevin O’Hara explained the difference between 5G antennas, which emit radiation, and microwave towers like the one planned for the call center. “Radiation damages DNA and causes cancer. We looked into it,” said O’Hara, adding that microwaves do not pose a health threat to people.

“We need this; it’s for our communication. The union, the fire department, we’ve all been working on this. We need it,” said O’Hara.

Argenzio and several other councillors continued to express their frustration that they were not told about the tower until a few weeks ago. Keefe tried to respond to those concerns by reminding them that renderings of McKinley were shown during the state of the city address and the tower was included in those drawings. He also said all emergency call centers have tall radio towers to function properly. “We have to do what’s right for public safety and for the safety of fire and police, and everyone who comes to Revere,” said Keefe.

“The study is going to revisit the height of the tower, nothing else?” asked Councillor-at-Large Michelle Kelley.

And that’s the best-case scenario, a 100-foot radio tower.

Kelley and other councillors raised the issue of a decrease in property values in the McKinley neighborhood. Kelley mentioned a 2019 study that found property values were affected for properties within 1,000 feet of a tower. “This will result in a property value decrease,” said Kelley. “I have a big problem with that.”

But Keefe said property values wouldn’t be affected. Instead, he said, a state-of-the-art emergency public safety system would enhance property values.

Councillor-at-Large Anthony Zambuto, who previously vowed to kill the project when he first learned about the tower, expressed a change of heart. “The last thing I’ll ever do is hinder the RECC center. I appreciate the effort the team is putting in looking at reducing the size,” said Zambuto. He promised to listen to experts and do what’s needed to make sure the city has a state-of-the-art emergency call center.

Keefe said the center will have the capacity to add another community to the regional call center. He added that there has already been an inquiry from a neighboring municipality.

Ward 2 Councillor Ira Novoselski said property values will, no doubt, decrease. He also asked about the city leasing space on the tower to other companies. Keefe said that’s not the goal nor the intention.

“Residents need to realize this is essential. I’m for this at a lower scale if you can do it,” said Ward 5 Councillor Angela Guarino-Sawaya, who added that her opinion had changed after hearing from police and fire department leaders.

“I would hate to be here in the future and we say if we had 50 more feet those guys would still be with us,” said City Council President Marc Silvestri.

Reservoir Road resident Stephanie Desisto said, “I haven’t heard one mention of quality of life. Lowering this by 40 feet is not a meaningful change….It is a fact and reality that property values will go down. People will have a difficult time selling their property.” Desisto said money needed to find an alternative location would be well spent to maintain quality of life.

The city’s application for variances for height and side yard construction is now before the Zoning Board of Appeals. Keefe has said the city went to the ZBA to give the community time to understand the project and ask questions. The city is exempt from the requirement of ZBA approval. The board will continue its hearing on the tower at its meeting later this month.