There Are No Good Solutions in Siting a Cell Tower in Mt. Kisco
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
The proposal to build a cell tower in Mount Kisco to address a coverage gap that affects Route 172 has come full circle. Several years ago, this tower was proposed for Leonard Park along with an alternative site on a hill in the nearby Chase residential neighborhood. Following balloon tests to assess the visibility of the tower from various locations and a public hearing, both sites were rejected.
After a period of time, the proposal for the cell tower popped up again, this time on a 25-acre property in Mount Kisco on Route 172 at the Bedford border. Also, a solar farm for community solar was proposed for the same property. This solar farm proposal has been intensively reviewed by the Planning Board for more than two years. Both proposals have evoked very strong opposition from the public. And now, after a search for a better site for the cell tower, once again there is a proposal to site the tower in Leonard Park, although in a different location than the original proposal.
Because of federal laws, Mount Kisco cannot reject the proposed tower nor can it consider any possible adverse health effects from the radiofrequency waves. Whether such electromagnetic radiation involving cell towers can produce any significant health effects has not been definitively proven but is still being investigated. So there are limits on what Mount Kisco can do about this proposed tower and what type of information can be used in making decisions.
With regard to the latest proposal to locate the tower in Leonard Park, there have been mixed opinions. Some residents are opposed to placing a commercial structure within the park but some are supportive because the Village Board is contemplating taking the 25-acre property through eminent domain and turning it into a park to compensate for the loss of parkland in Leonard Park if the tower is built there.
Because Mount Kisco cannot by law reject the tower, many village residents like myself are likely to be, to some extent, unhappy about the final result no matter what is decided. And for those living closest to the tower, they will be left to wonder whether or not the tower can affect their health. Cell phones are extremely popular but the cell towers that are needed for them to operate continue to plague communities.
Robert Liebman
Mount Kisco
