With PV Tower Vote, Homeland Sends Warning Shot
With a voter referendum less than one week away to determine if a cell tower should be placed behind Putnam Valley town hall, Homeland Towers warned if this site is shot down, alternative sites could be closer to the local elementary school.
In an email to Supervisor Sam Oliverio, Vincent Xavier of Homeland Towers told Oliverio the tower would “likely” be closer to Putnam Valley Elementary School. The two other alternative sites Xavier mentioned were the senior center property where the town park is or on the ambulance corp. property. Some critics against the tower at town hall have complained it would be too close to school children, posing health risks.
“Based on my review, it appears likely that any alternative will be closer to the school,” Xavier wrote.
The tower at town hall would be one mile from the school.
The town-wide vote will take Tuesday, Aug. 21 from noon- 8 p.m. A couple of months ago, the majority of the town board approved leasing Homeland Towers land on the town hall property to build a 110-feet cell tower to the chagrin of nearby residents. (Residents in turn collected enough signatures to force a referendum on the matter.) The tower would still need approvals from the planning board and the zoning board of appeals and if it were signed off, the town would receive about $24,000 yearly from the tower company.
Oliverio, who has been a proponent of placing the tower at town hall, made a final pitch to voters last week in an interview. He called the proposed tower “essential” to limit dead zones in the town.
Oliverio said he was encouraged by Homeland Towers to share the letter the company sent him with the public “because they have a right to know” in the spirit of transparency. After some consideration, Oliverio believes residents should know what other possible sites could be.
“(Homeland Towers) is only stating what I’ve said 100 times: you vote this down, we still need the tower and we’re going to put it at either one of these sites,” Oliverio said. “So I think it’s a good thing that they did that, it’s an honest thing. People really need to know what the situation is when they go into vote.”
Concerned residents, including Dorothy France, who would live near the proposed tower, expressed skepticism whether Homeland’s warning of a closer site to the elementary school was a political ploy or not.
In an interview, France said she doesn’t think the threat of placing the tower in two locations closer to the school is real and doesn’t want Homeland to dictate where the tower should go. She called Homeland’s email to Oliverio a “bullying tactic” and said the tower would be a “really ugly thing.”
France, who teaches at the elementary school, said she would not want the tower at any of the three locations mentioned.
“I don’t think anybody has taken the time to explore what Putnam Valley really needs in terms of cell service,” she said. “Nobody’s investigated.”
If the town does more research, France argued a better spot could be pinpointed. Oliverio hopes that residents understand the cell tower is a necessary utility that would also help emergency services. People opposed, Oliverio said are being “dichotomous” since most, if not all them, use cell phones, which require towers.
“Either way, I believe it’s going to be a close vote,” Oliverio said.
