The construction of a cellular telecommunications tower is being proposed for the St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School in West Islip. According to the Town of Islip, a hearing on the request was adjourned from Thursday June 22 because of scheduling problems, and now will be heard before the Town's planning board at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 21, 2006.

A letter sent throughout the West Islip School District by the the West Islip Council of Parent Teacher Associations indicated that the meeting will be held August 3, but Islip officials said that information was incorrect.

In the letter, the PTA is asking the Town to regulate the placement of towers and supports research into any long term affects of wave frequencies, especially to children.

A PTA official declined to comment on the letter which urged the public to come out and "speak up in defense of our children and community."

The applicant, the Crescent Organization, had approached the school, located at 1170 Montauk Highway, about the proposal, according to town records. St. John's is officially closed until August 16, and a school official was not available for comment, said a secretary who answered the phone there.

The agreement would allow Crescent to build the tower and lease space to telecommunications companies such as Sprint, Verizon and Cingular. The school would lease the space for the tower to Crescent and collect the rent.

According to one of the applicant phone companies, Cingular Wireless, this would be a "stealth" operation.

"It would be disguised as a flag pole near the center of the campus," explained spokesperson Alexa Kaufman, who said nearby schools such as C.W. Post and Manhasset Junior High School also have towers on their property.

"It's not uncommon that all providers work together in an application (such as this) to minimize a proliferation of poles in any given area," continued Kaufman, who added that communications towers on Long Island have also been hidden in church steeples and flagpoles.

"This application is part of a larger effort of our expansion onto Long Island to give our customers the levels of service they need," she concluded.

Town Hall is located at 655 Main Street in Islip.