Cell tower meeting
draws officials

Consolidation of PA and NY
towns suggested

By TOM KANE

NARROWSBURG — Cell towers are coming. You can’t stop them, but you can control how they happen.

That was the advice of two experts on cell tower construction at a meeting held by the Upper Delaware Council (UDC) on July 9.

More than 40 people from both sides of the river attended, most of them town officials.

From the New York State Department of State, Lori Heithoff laid out what New York officials can and cannot do when a cell tower company approaches.

R. Anthony Waldron III, a Pennsylvania lawyer who specializes in real estate and land use law, served a similar purpose for residents of his state who were present.

During the course of the meeting, Neal Halloran, code enforcement officer of the Town of Cochecton, suggested that municipalities on both sides of the river should consolidate their forces so that cell towers won’t proliferate along the river corridor.

William Douglas, executive director of the UDC, then told the audience about a model program that was the work of two states along the St. Croix River in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

“These folks have the exact problem we are experiencing and they joined forces to address it,” Douglas said.

One problem that might stand in the way of a consolidated effort was that a number of the townships in PA that border the river do not belong to the UDC, nor do they participate in the Management Plan of the Recreational and Scenic River, he said.

“If our members think it’s a good idea, UDC could possibly hold a meeting sometime in the future to see how interested towns and townships would be,” Douglas said. “Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of time. The horse may be out of the barn already.”

Areas where a town can control towers are the tower’s location and height, Heithoff and Waldron said. A town can also require multiple wireless applicants to share space on one tower rather than erect two.

A major concern of many present was that towers could affect the aesthetics of the river valley.

“This valley is special because of its beauty,” said New York resident Jeffrey Moore. “What’s going to happen if we get 19 towers along here?”

“You can zone for aesthetics,” Waldron said. “You have to analyze your options. You can bring in experts on these matters to advise you and have the cell tower companies pay for it.”

“You need to know what your plan is going to be,” Heithoff said. “Don’t fall over dead when a company brings in their lawyers. You have a lot of options.”

While the UDC does not have regulatory power, it is urging towns to make use of the zoning laws they have in place already.