After a contentious workshop meeting Monday, Aug. 20, Glen Ellyn village trustees seem poised to approve a deal with T-Mobile that would enhance cellular coverage in the downtown.

Under the proposed agreement the town would lease space atop the water tower on Cottage Avenue to T-Mobile, which would install a 7.5-foot antenna. The finer details of the arrangement, such as how much the lease would cost, have not been finalized yet.
But the move has been unpopular with residents living near the water tower, and about two dozen attended Monday’s meeting to protest the deal.

Residents have expressed concern about negative effects to property value, and they believe the town should consider other locations.

But the actual repercussions of the cell antenna remain in dispute. Both the village and residents have cited different accounts from real estate agents on the potential effect to land value.

Although no formal vote was taken during the workshop, trustees indicated how they will vote during the official town meeting on Monday, Aug. 27. Three said they would vote for the agreement, and two were against it.

Trustee Pete Ladesic was the board’s most outspoken opponent of the T-Mobile agreement. His primary objection was a matter of aesthetics.

“The water tower itself is not a pretty thing,” he said, adding he believes the size of the proposed equipment is too distracting to ignore.

At 7.5-foot high and at least 10 feet in diameter, the entire installation will be “slightly larger than a run of the mill minivan,” he noted.

“Siding with the residents in this matter, knowing that there are other options, I would oppose this,” he said.

His comments drew a burst of applause from attending residents, who were sharply rebuked by Village President Vicky Hase for being indecorous.

Because Trustee Peter Norton, who lives near the water tower, has recused himself from the discussion, Hase was called upon make the deciding to vote.

She backed the deal, she said, after weighing the concerns of the residents against those of the roughly 1,400 T-Mobile customers in Glen Ellyn who would benefit from the improved coverage.

“We really have to represent the whole community, and that includes people who don’t come before us to speak,” she said.

Chuck Chefjec, who spoke before the board on behalf of the residents, took issue with Hase’s reasoning, citing a petition against the cell tower that had garnered roughly 200 signatures.

“For them to say their decision reflects the will of the people is troubling,” Chefjec said after the meeting.