East Lyme — About a dozen residents spoke at a Siting Council public hearing Tuesday evening, all in opposition to a cell tower proposal at 351A Boston Post Road.

Speakers at the meeting, attended by more than 50 people, said the tower would lower property values and disrupt the serenity of their neighborhoods and views.

They also said they were concerned about the potential health risks associated with cell towers, particularly with locating one in a residential neighborhood.

American Towers LLC. and New Cingular Wireless have applied to the Siting Council for approval for the proposed 194-foot-tall monopole cell tower at 351A Boston Post Road. In Connecticut, the Siting Council approves the location of cell towers.

The cell tower, for AT&T and T-Mobile, is to replace a 150-foot monopole existing tower near The Orchards subdivision, according to a presentation at the meeting.

In its application, AT&T said it considered 30 sites, but only found the Boston Post Road site to be suitable.

The Siting Council received a copy of a letter at the hearing, presented by a resident, that stated The Orchards development will extend the lease for the existing tower until the end of 2017.

At the hearing, speakers urged the Siting Council to consider alternative sites, recommending the Stones Ranch Military Reservation and other locations.

"This area in Plum Hill and Boston Post Road is charming, absolutely charming," said Michael Ritz. "There must be another place this cell tower can serve the community and not have the impact it does."

Evelyn Perry, whose property abuts the cell tower site, showed photos of how visible the tower would be both from her property and from her neighbors in the Plum Hill area. She said she purchased her house because of the quiet area and panoramic views.

Another speaker, Tom Gardner, said the tower should be placed on alternative sites, such as two possibilities at Stones Ranch, instead of in a densely populated neighborhood.

He said it's important to protect children from potential health risks that could arise from cell towers. He said the Telecommunications Act of 1996 relies on medical data from 1985.

"Here we are 30 years later, and we're still using that data," Gardner said.

The Siting Council said the Telecommunications Act of 1996, a federal law passed by Congress, prohibits the council from considering the health effects of radiofrequency emissions on human health and wildlife to the extent the towers are within the federally accepted safe standards.

Kate Fiedler, another speaker, also raised concerns about the safety risks of cell towers.

"There is a growing body of evidence that the electromagnetic radiation they emit, even at low levels, is dangerous to human health," she said.

The town of East Lyme, an intervenor in the application, has suggested alternative locations for the cell tower, including Stones Ranch.

The council's acting executive director, Melanie Bachman, told The Day that the Siting Council can only consider alternative sites presented by intervenors.

Meanwhile, AT&T originally had considered another site at Ancient Highway. The company said it decided against the site and neighboring sites, including Gateway Commons, after the Mohegan Tribe said the proposed cell tower would have an adverse visual impact on ceremonial stone groupings on an adjacent site.

Resident John Drabik, the owner of the Ancient Highway site, has filed in New London Superior Court a petition for a bill of discovery that seeks a deposition of two members of the Mohegan Tribal Historic Preservation Office for more specific information on their findings. The court documents say the office did not respond to his requests for a description and location of the stone groupings. 

The Mohegan Tribe has filed a motion to dismiss the case, citing sovereign immunity.

Drabik said a decision is expected in the next couple of weeks. 

The Mohegan Tribe has declined to comment on the case.

The Siting Council conducted a field review of the Boston Post Road site earlier in the day and asked technical questions about the application and alternative sites during an afternoon public hearing session.

The council will accept comments on the application for the next 30 days.

k.drelich@theday.com

Twitter: @KimberlyDrelich