Residents oppose cell tower in cemetery

NATICK--Meera Werther, 34, moved to Glenwood Street with her husband and three children nine years ago, drawn by the scent of fresh pine and the hushed serenity that living next to a historic cemetery afforded.

Now, officials at the Glenwood Cemetery are proposing to allow Verizon Wireless to build a 115-foot cell tower on the cemetery grounds, and Werther and others are worried the peacefulness of their neighborhood will be a thing of the past.

Angry residents gathered at the cemetery yesterday as Verizon officials set up a crane to demonstrate to town officials the height of the proposed tower. The narrow metal pole, with a 6-foot dish on top, would stand about 100 feet from the last row of headstones on the far northwest corner of the cemetery grounds, where tombstones give way to towering pine trees and muddy fields.

''The cemetery is a big part of our neighborhood," Werther said. ''The idea of planting a big giant pole in the sky in this sacred place seems very inappropriate."

Town officials said they must abide by the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996, which states that communities cannot ban cell phone towers.

''As a community, we have to allow cell towers in," said Julian J. Munnich, clerk for the town's planning board. ''There are just no super-easy or extra-good locations for putting the towers."

Some residents have expressed concern that the tower would affect property values and could cause health problems. But the rallying cry against the tower has mostly centered on residents' fears that the tower will detract from the historic cemetery's tranquil setting. They cite the tower's unaesthetic appearance, and the buzz of the four generators that would power it.

Horatio Alger, a novelist famous for his retellings of the rags-to-riches theme, is buried at the cemetery, along with many prominent families who lived in South Natick in the early 1800s.

Resident Alison Gilkey called the proposed tower sacrilegious.

''It is consecrated ground," she said. ''Doesn't anyone know what that means anymore?"

Cellular phone companies have been looking to build a communications tower in South Natick for the past three years in an attempt to provide better service along Route 16, Munnich said.

He said Verizon Wireless contacted the Glenwood Cemetery earlier this year about leasing the cemetery grounds and building the tower. The town has hired a private engineer to consider Verizon's bid and will decide whether it will approve the tower sometime this month, Munnich said.

Robert J. Drew, president of the Glenwood Cemetery Association, did not return several calls placed by the Globe yesterday. Other members of the association also did not return calls placed by the Globe.