After ten years of delays, the Gardiner Town Board has voted 4-1 in favor of erecting the town’s second cell tower. The rural New York town reversed earlier sentiments against the tower project, citing coverage needs and prior commitments as deciding factors. As HudsonValleyOne.com reports, the Board has directed town attorney, Victoria Polidoro, to draft an agreement with Wireless Edge that will allow construction to begin.
The proposed site for the new cell tower is on the property of the Gardiner Highway Department Garage facility on South Mountain Road. In talks with the town, Wireless Edge agreed to reduce the tower’s height from 120 to 110 feet. In exchange, Wireless Edge would be granted a decrease in its rent escalator clause from three percent down to two percent.
HudsonValleyOne.com reports that Board members expressed regrets for residents for whom the new cell tower would be visible. Councilwoman Laura Wells, for example, spoke of the importance of digital access outweighing concerns from some that a cell tower would have a negative visual effect on Gardiner. She referred to the selected site as “almost-perfect” if it were not for this issue.
Councilman Franco Carucci voted in favor of the project as well, but added that he wasn’t happy about it. “We’re stuck because of decisions by previous administrations. I’m very much against it, but feel that we’re left with no choice.”
Supervisor Marybeth Majestic agreed, saying, “Like Lazy River [a controversial campground site], we inherited this.” Determined to move on, Majestic instructed Polidoro to create a draft with some specific conditions for the project. Among them, the Town wants periodic progress reports, and the installation of “ice-breaking devices” to protect Highway Department personnel working near the cell tower from falling ice.
Reader Interactions