HA‘ENA — The Hanalei-to-Ha‘ena Community Association held an informational meeting on AT&T’s plans to construct a cell tower on a house lot in Ha‘ena, with the more than two-hour event sparking clear conflict and debate between AT&T, the County of Kaua‘i and the over 50 residents in attendance on Wednesday night, May 31, 2023.
“Our community is not for this, and our community will not allow this,” said cultural practitioner Louise Sausen at the beginning of the meeting, held at the YMCA Camp Naue in Ha‘ena. “This is going to be another genocide on our culture, the Hawaiian culture.”
She added, “Three letters. EMF (electromagnetic field).”
Sausen is one of many residents from the small, rural community concerned that the tower would pose a health risk to the community caused by emissions of EMF, which contains radiation. Residents also cited noise caused by the tower’s generator, the risk of collapse in a hurricane, property value decreases and negative impacts on the environment, as reasons for their opposition.
‘Public safety’
AT&T representative Elizabeth Songvilay presented the company’s position, telling the group that the project’s purpose is to improve services for public safety.
She explained AT&T is in a public-private partnership with the First Net Authority, an agency established in 2012 as a post-Sept. 11 response, to build and maintain the first responder network nationwide.
“During that event, first responders in that community and also interoperability between public safety agencies was very critical,” Songvilay said.
“This is a federal mandate. I want to say that. Each state and territory had an option to not opt-in, but then they would have to build a network that was interoperable with this nationwide first responder network,” she said.
”In the end, every state and territory opted in. And then we worked with the state of Hawai‘i, as we did with all states, to create a state plan,” she said, adding that Ha‘ena and Ke‘e Beach were identified as critical for First Net services.
Songvilay said safety necessities include being able to reliably call 911 so public safety can communicate without delays during emergency events.
Selecting a site was difficult for AT&T, as it had to find a lot that worked for Ke‘e Beach and all of Ha‘ena. Songvilay noted that the area has many high flood risk zones, conservation land, and a lack of options for a wireless facility.
She also said AT&T would make efforts to reduce visual and other impacts caused by the cell tower.
“We plan to set it back 100 feet, among trees,” she said, adding there are plans to come up with a landscaping plan and disguise the tower as a pine tree.
Songvilay also said plans for the tower’s height have been reduced from 125 feet to 95 feet in an effort to reduce the visual impact.
“Ninety-five feet? And that’s supposed to make me feel better?” Sausen asked.
Meeting facilitator Johanna Ventura stepped in multiple times during Songvilay’s presentation to ask residents for patience.
Songvilay also said noise from the site’s power generator would be “minimal,” and that landscaping and enclosing the site would “further buffer any noise.”
But AT&T is still at the beginning of the process and “quite some time away” from being able to submit a conditional use permit application to the county Planning Department, said Songvilay.
She also addressed concerns about radiofrequency and EMF exposures, saying the site would comply with the Federal Communications Commission’s guidelines.
Some residents spoke out during her presentation, stating their disapproval of the project.
“Did you guys ever hold a meeting to ask us if we want this thing, or needed this thing? I thought that’s what this was for this meeting, so I’m saying no,” said one resident.
Another resident asked Songvilay to “look everybody in the eye,” and say “I would have a 5G tower in my backyard, and I would raise my family in a backyard where I had a 5G tower. And I would feel good about that.”
“I do believe in the first responder network,” responded Songvilay, to further criticism from residents.
‘Due diligence’
Michael Dahilig, county managing director, spoke for Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami. Dahilig acknowledged that EMF exposure from the tower was “at the forefront” of residents’ minds, and noted safety is the county’s priority.
“If there are resources that can make our first responders that much more capable, or that much more safe in what they do, we support that,” he said.
Dahilig said AT&T is in the process of doing its “due diligence” before seeking approval from the county. He listed several requirements the company will need to meet before applying for a permit, including conducting an analysis to determine whether cultural activity or practices will be impacted by the cell tower.
They will also need a variance permit from the county Planning Commission, because 95 feet is “well above” the building height maximum for the area, as well as a zoning permit and a use permit.
Dahilig also noted that the Planning Commission is required to hold a public hearing before issuing the three “discretionary permits.” He told all attendees that they have the right to file a petition with the Planning Commission before the hearing.
“I’m sure having all of you here, with the AT&T representative looking at what is happening, I don’t think it’s disputable where the community’s perspective is at,” said Dahilig, adding the county is required to go through “due process.”
A “weighing process is before the Kaua‘i Planning Commission,” said Dahilig, as the county aims to balance the first responders’ needs with other policies surrounding land use and compatibility.
Speaking during the meeting, residents brought up alternatives, including bringing landlines back to the area and Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet.
‘We can win’
Teri Tico, a Ha‘ena resident and environmental lawyer, spoke at the end of the meeting.
“I’ve been doing environmental litigation for 45 years on this island. We’ve fought many battles and we’ve won. I am confident that we can win this battle with AT&T,” said Tico, to cheering from the audience.
Tico said AT&T and the county should have provided residents with more notice on the cell tower.
“To me, it’s just unthinkable that our mayor’s office, our Planning Department, that AT&T, didn’t come and talk to us first. The way we handle things in our community is by talking to our neighbors,” she said.
Jonny Wichman, the president of the HHCA, said after the event that AT&T initiated its plans about one year ago, but the community only recently found out.
Tico claimed that cell towers reduce the value of nearby properties by 20 to 30 percent, that there’s a significant risk that the tower will topple and “demolish” nearby houses or catch on fire.
“It’s just the absolute worst place to put it,” she said.
Tico told residents to write as many letters as they can, including to state Rep. Nadine Nakamura, Gov. Josh Green, Kawakami and council members. Council Member Felicia Cowden was also in attendance at the event.
“We must remain diligent and not let down our guard,” she said.
Songvilay told The Garden Island after the event that meeting with the community and getting feedback is part of the company’s plan. “We really just came here to listen and engage. And that’s really important to us as part of this process,” she said. “As I mentioned in the meeting, I’ll certainly take it back to the team.”
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Emma Grunwald, reporter, can be reached 808-652-0638 or egrunwald@thegardenisland.com.
