Cell Tower Communications Committee Status Update May 30, 2023
Reposted May 30, 2023
With the approval of the Board of Trustees, we are excited to proceed with installing the tower at the Potuket site.
To obtain the necessary permissions, we will work closely with the Planning Board and Board of Zoning Review, as advised by the village attorney. Additionally, we may need to establish village access easements on specific properties as part of the approval process. To ensure smooth access and functionality, the village DPW will construct an access road, and O&R will power the tower at the Potuket site.
We will diligently evaluate the costs as the project progresses while adhering to village procurement policies. Funding for the project falls within our purview, and we are committed to managing finances and expenses responsibly to remain within our budgetary constraints. The decision to invest in this tower is grounded in its numerous benefits. It will significantly enhance emergency calling capabilities and improve coverage for residents living in the park, individuals working from home, visitors, police and first responders, and organizations like the Tuxedo Park School and The Tuxedo Club, ultimately elevating the overall quality of life within our gated community.
We are eager to keep you informed as the project unfolds, and we highly value the input and expertise of our community members in all village matters. Your active participation is essential, and we encourage you to engage in this process. I want to that the Communications Committee for sacrificing their time over the last two years to improve our village.
Posted May 18, 2023
Over the last two years, the Communications Committee, through the work of the Village's consultant, Board approved Walter Cooper, explored several avenues for improving wireless communication (mainly cell phone service).
At the direction of the Mayor, the Communications Committee has engaged the three major carriers (AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile) to demand improved service. Unfortunately, the Village's demands did not receive high-level attention even after many attempts (presumably because of the low level of consumer demand in the Village).
The Committee has explored several options - relay towers, enhancing current tower capacity, expanding access for nearby buildings, and building a microcell tower within the Village. Other than making a macro-tower within the Village, all of these options have met a not-unexpected hurdle, or the terrain prevents the transmission of signals.
The Committee, upon the consultant's advice, has concluded that the only viable way to improve cell phone service in the Village is to build a cell phone tower within the Village. To this end, the Committee re-engaged with Crown Castle ("CC") to explore options. Sites considered to build a cell tower included Ridge Road (near the water towers), the DPW facility at Wee Wah Lake, and the old Village water tanks on Potucket Road. The Ridge Road location was dismissed as being too visible and unacceptable by residents; the Wee Wah/DPW site was rejected as the area was too low, and benefits would be limited. Currently, the Potucket site is being explored. Based on analysis done by CC, the Potucket site, with a 100ft cell tower, would provide significantly improved service to most of the Village. The Committee has re-engaged the CC representative (Ed Lungren) to determine feasibility and do a balloon and another site testing. We will update you when we have information to share.
If you have expertise in the area of telecommunications and would like to contact the Committee, please get in touch with John Ledwith at (845) 352-4745 Ext: 2 or by email at [email protected]