The coastal town of Sag Harbor, NY has been talking about a new cell tower since 2020, but cannot agree on the best way to accomplish this goal. According to the Sag Harbor Express, the latest suggestion has come from Verizon, which proposed replacing the antiquated 165-foot WLNG-FM lattice radio tower with a multi-antenna monopole tower of approximately the same height. The Village Board has received an application outlining the proposal for the new tower, but so far the only activity has been a flurry of flying opinions.
Objections to the proposal were launched by neighbors concerned about the visual impact of a new tower, as well as any possible environmental effects. The Board unanimously agreed that Verizon Wireless would need to prepare an environmental impact statement. Before proceeding with the study, a “scoping session” will take place to help the Board decide which factors should be the focus of the study. The Board indicated that it would also like to see alternative site locations.
Fans of the existing tower weighed in, suggesting that the one-story radio station building on tower grounds is a candidate for placement on the historic register. Sarah Kautz of Preservation Long Island and Trustee Bob Plumb both spoke in favor of saving the building rather than allowing a new monopole tower to claim that space. Plumb suggested that the building could be kept and re-imagined into a “museum of early radio.”
Another suggestion that would keep the new cell tower off WLNG property came from Randy Croxton of the historical committee and Gail Bruesewitz who is the moderator of the finance committee. Croxton and Bruwesewitz read a letter stating, “We propose to incorporate the proposed cell tower within the reconstructed historic steeple [at Old Whalers’ Church] that blew down in the hurricane of 1938. Previous on-site studies done by the primary carrier in 2008 showed that the newly constructed steeple would be an ideal location to provide cell service throughout our geographic area for vital East End emergency services and could handle the cell service needs of four different carriers, providing better service for thousands of local customers.”
The Sag Harbor Express noted that at one point Mayor Jim Larocca stepped in with a reminder to stay calm and remain civil. He said that the cell tower meeting was “a very important process on an application that is of great concern to this small community,” and cautioned one participant whom he tagged as “aggressive” to “hit a reset button.”
The tense environment described by the Sag Harbor Express contrasts with the more cordial environment it reports was in play in 2020, when Verizon brought a COW to town to address the upswing in digital traffic. The cell-on-wheels was welcomed to Sag Harbor when COVID kept people at home and local resources became overwhelmed. Apparently Sag Harbor was also united in its disappointment when Verizon took the COW to Queens. However, when Verizon asked to bring the COW home to Sag Harbor, the Board said “no.”
With no COW and an aging cell tower, Larocca said Sag Harbor will need to decide how to keep local residents digitally connected. It is anticipated that the matter will come up for discussion again once Verizon’s environmental statement is presented to the Board.
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