Special to the Journal
The Revere Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) held its regular monthly meeting last Wednesday, August 27, in the City Councillor Joseph A. DelGrosso City Council Chamber. On hand for the session were chair Michael Tucker and fellow members Aklog Limeneh, John Lopes, Arthur Pelton, and James O’Brien. The first matter was an application from the City of Revere requesting variances of Revere Revised Ordinances (RRO) Section 17.24.010 (maximum height) and RRO Section 17.16.260(F)(1) (no-accessory structure shall be located within the required side yard setback) to enable the city to construct a 145-foot radio tower for the new emergency 911 center located in the former McKinley School at 65 Yeamans Street. The purpose of the radio tower will be to provide state-of-the-art, microwave-transmission communications among the public safety departments of Revere, Chelsea, and Winthrop.
The 145-foot height of the tower is necessary to approximate the heights of the Winthrop water tower and the Chelsea Soldiers Home, both of which sit atop high hills in those communities. Mayor Patrick Keefe presented the application to the board. “This is a matter of a high-level of importance to the City of Revere, as well as the communities of Chelsea and Winthrop,” said the mayor. However, he acknowledged that there are concerns by some residents about the height of the tower and that some city councillors wish to weigh-in on the matter. “I want to note that this antenna will not pose a hazard to anyone in the area, including the children of the adjacent school,” said the mayor, noting that there are many pre-existing radio towers in the city that are situated in similar areas. “But this is a matter of public safety where seconds matter,” said Keefe. “We cannot take shortcuts to communicate to our first responders in emergencies in life-safety situations.”
Tom Skwierawski, the city’s Chief of Planning and Community Development, went into some of the details of the proposal, including a discussion of the plans for the renovation of the McKinley School, which will house the Revere public schools’ early-childhood education center in the original section of the building that was constructed in 1904. The addition to the school (which was built in 1924) will house some city government offices (the parking and retirement departments), as well as the Metro North Regional Emergency Communication Center (RECC) serving Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop. The radio tower will be located in the rear of the building. Renovations to the building already are underway, with construction slated to begin in the winter of 2026 with an anticipated completion date by the summer of 2027. Ivan Pagacik, an engineer who is a principal with Introba Wireless, explained to the board why the height of 145 feet is required. Whitney Morgan, the Exec. Director of the Metro North RECC, told the commissioners that the present system often experiences “dropped” communications in the middle of emergencies, “At the end of the day, my concern is the safety of our police and firemen if we lose contact with them,” said Morgan. Revere Fire Chief Jim Cullen reminded the members of incidents in which the current system has failed.
“This new tower is crucial to our communications center,” said Cullen. Police Chief Maria LaVita also spoke about the need for the tower, especially because it will improve communication with the portable radios carried by police officers when they go into large, concrete buildings. “This is a huge public safety and officer safety issue,” LaVita said. Ward 4 Councillor Paul Argenzio also spoke on the proposal. “I’m an opponent at this time,” Argenzio said. “The McKinley School project has been discussed for more than two years, but this 145-foot tower was just proposed a few weeks ago and has caught everybody by surprise. “The City Council has a lot of questions that we need answered before we provide the funding for it,” Argenzio continued. “The visual impact in the neighborhood will be immense. It also will be the focal point as one approaches the central business district coming down Broadway. “Residents also are concerned about the impact on their home values,” Argenzio added, noting that similar towers have been declared a nuisance by HUD, which could impact home insurance rates.
“Teachers also have expressed their concerns about the potential for adverse impacts upon the health of young children.” Tucker then noted that the tower will use microwaves, not 5G, as some have suggested. “Unlike a 5G tower, which always is operational, the tower will use microwaves that only will operate when our present fiber-optic system fails,” said Skwierawski. Steven Damiano of 172 Prospect Ave. spoke in opposition to the proposal. “You can’t tell me that we need this gargantuan tower that poses a real safety risk to teachers and students,” said Damiano, who suggested that an alternative antenna could be placed at the reservoir. The commissioners (at the initial suggestion of Mayor Keefe), then voted to continue the hearing to its next meeting. The next matter was an application from Jeremy Crossgrove, 218 Bellingham Avenue, requesting a variance of RRO Section 17.24.010(A)(1) (no front yard parking), to enable him to construct a 23’ x 22’ parking pad in his front yard at 218 Bellingham Avenue for two side-by-side parking spaces. Mr. Crossgrove presented the application on his own behalf. He briefly explained the reason for the request, noting that an unused pool will be removed, “The overall effect will be to add green space in the front of my yard and add an on-street parking space,” Crossgrove said. The commissioners had no questions, there were no opponents, and the application was approved. Next up were Luigi & Carmela DiChiara, 60 Hauman Street, requesting a variance of RRO Section 17.16.260(F)(1) (no accessory structure shall be located within the required side yard within the RB District) to enable them to construct a chicken coop and run within the side yard of 128 Malden Street, which is directly behind 60 Hauman St. The direct abuter to the DiChiaras expressed her support for the proposal, as did another neighbor. There were no opponents and the board approved the application 4-1, with Tucker voting against.
