UDC to hold regional meeting on cell towers

By TOM KANE

NARROWSBURG — Why can’t we have a master plan for the positioning of cell towers along both sides of the Delaware River?

That question was asked by Cochecton Code Enforcement Officer Neal Halloran at a recent meeting on cell towers for officials from New York State and Pennsylvania municipalities held by the Upper Delaware Council (UDC).

“We’re setting a tentative date of Thursday, August 23 at 7:00 p.m. and are inviting the chief elected official and planning board chairman from each municipality on both sides of the river, as well as the planners from each of the counties,” said Bill Douglas, executive director of UDC. The meeting will be held at the UDC’s headquarters at 211 Bridge Street in Narrowsburg.

“We’ll give people on both sides of the river a chance to discuss a master plan but if they don’t want to, we won’t hold the meeting,” Douglas said.

Douglas said that the UDC is concerned that a proliferation of cell towers within the river corridor will detract from the beauty and visual serenity of the river valley, basically a tourist area that drew 278,308 visitors in the year 2000, according to the National Park Service.

There are currently seven towers proposed in the river corridor, two in the Town of Delaware (NY), one in the Town of Lumberland, two in the Town of Tusten and two in Damascus Township (PA). The Town of Highland approved two towers this spring for placement in Eldred and Highland Lake.

The UDC is the coordinating body for the Upper Delaware Management Plan. It can be reached at 845/252-3022.