Proposed cell tower location is at village garage
A three-foot diameter red balloon floating behind My Town Marketplace may — or may not have — been the talk of the village on Sunday.
The balloon float was intentional, a test to show residents what a cell tower at that location would look like. It was flown from 8 a.m. to noon, from the village’s highway garage, located on Havens Rd. behind the grocery store.
Mayor Joe D’Onofrio was one of the first to stop by to look at it … he said he was surprised to see that at 160 feet, it was not above the tree line behind the store. While the balloon could be seen from the parking lots of both My Town Marketplace and Rite Aid, once leaves are on the trees, its doubtful that it would be.
Some residents made an effort to go to the location to look at the balloon, others noticed it and wondered what it was. D’Onofrio said as of Tuesday he’d only had a few comments from community members, some positive (because they are looking for better cell service) and some negative (mostly due to health concerns, he said). While he was at the garage with Homeland Tower’s Vincent Xavier, several residents with homes in the area came down to talk about the balloon and the proposed location.
As it flew, photographs were being taken from seven locations within half a mile, three locations within a mile (including one on West Point) on this side of the river, three locations across the river within a mile, and one location across the river outside a mile radius.
In Highland Falls, you could see the red balloon from Mearns Ave., and Roe Ave. (looking due east just from the north side of the pavilion there).
So, what is next?
“We are not even to step two of many, many steps,” D’Onofrio said.
He noted that there will be several more meetings of an advisory committee he created, and he will ask Homeland Towers to put $5000 in escrow with the village to be used to pay for consultants, research, etc. Assuming that happens, he said the board hopes to hire a consultant to talk with them about cell tower frequencies and technology, as well as to determine if the village garage really is the best location in Highland Falls.
“For instance, lots of people have said we should use the water plant,”
the mayor said. “I want an expert — other than Homeland Towers — to tell us if that is another option.”
He said there will also be a public hearing on the matter.
“No lease will be signed until all of the analysis is in and a complete review process is done,” he said.
At Tuesday’s Village Board meeting three community residents spoke about the proposed cell tower, Dave Johnston and Irena Kelly, who both live right next to the proposed location (and would be about eye level with the top of a tower if it was built there, and Ned Kopald, who is on the Cell Tower Committee. All three expressed concern about the location, and D’Onofrio reiterated that there is still much work to be done before any type of agreement is made.
Those health issues were among their concerns, with Kopald saying that while the federal government has deemed health concerns can’t be used to rule out the installation of a cell tower, local officials need to think of that.
“We have a responsibility to our citizens even though the federal government thinks they have taken that from us,” Kopald said.
Johnston also brought up concerns about his property value if a cell tower is erected so close to his house — “I think it would be about 150 feet away,” he said. “I think we would be looking to move if it looks like its going to go there.” He urged the village to look at other locations.
He also questioned whether the tower would have lights atop it; there were differing opinions on that by the board, but they will ask the experts, they said.
Kelly said she woke up Sunday morning and looked out her window directly at the balloon. That concerned her. Kopald said he could see the balloon from the dining room of his Roe Park home.
Trustee Brian Aylward, also on the Cell Tower Committee, again reminded the residents that deciding on where to put a tower — or even if it will be done — “will be a long and drawn out process”.
Deputy Mayor Jim Ramus spoke, noting that while he voted in favor of conducting the balloon test, in looking at it on Sunday he wasn’t happy when he saw the location.
