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UDC establishes cell tower subcommittee

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No, I'm worried about cell towers in the Upper Delaware! 73% | 82 votes
Yes, I want to see cell service in the Upper Delaware! 27% | 30 votes
I don't care either way. 0% | 0 votes

NARROWSBURG, NY — The idea of opening up the Delaware River corridor to cell towers has been gaining traction in recent months.

The Upper Delaware Council (UDC) raised the issue as a topic of conversation during review of a proposed zoning law for the Town of Tusten. That law allowed for communication towers in the recreational river district, a zoning district that adjoins the Delaware River.

Earlier cell-tower projects in the Delaware River corridor had run afoul of the UDC’s interpretation of the River Management Plan (RMP), a document that helps regulate development along the river. Tusten’s zoning law was considered based on that precedent, and Tusten withdrew communication towers from its proposed zoning.

But the question had been raised, and the UDC resolved to revisit its interpretation of the RMP and develop an interpretation that could allow for cell towers in the corridor.

At its July 7 full board meeting, the UDC established a subcommittee chaired by Shohola Township representative Aaron Robinson to consider the issue.

The goal of the subcommittee is to work with the National Park Service (NPS) to come up with a position paper on the issue of cell towers in the corridor, as the UDC had done when it considered commercial solar installations. “In many cases (in probably all cases) the municipalities already have some sort of zoning in their local codes to deal with this, so we may be a little late to the game in that regard, but we need something so that when projects come in, we can address it thoughtfully,” said UDC executive director Laurie Ramie.

Changes in philosophies and policies at the NPS had occurred over the years, added Ramie, and the latest documents provided by NPS representatives encouraged the creation of planning documents to deal with communication towers and opened the door for their approval.

“It’s going to be a working committee,” said Robinson, asking for UDC members to serve on the committee with him. A lot of generalizations had been used in discussion up to that point, but the question of cell towers was a very technical issue, and the committee would need to brush up on the science behind communication towers and the technical aspects thereof.

“The subject matter is complex,” said Robinson. “It’s not as easy as just saying “Oh, we’ll allow cell towers.” There’s the aesthetic aspect of it, there’s the technical aspect of it.”

Another aspect adding to the complexity—the potential for legal challenges—had been raised by a pair of public commenters at the previous week’s meeting of the project review committee.

Attorney Robert Berg and environmental consultant (and Robert’s daughter) Zoe Berg requested that the UDC adhere to its duty to protect the river, and claimed that nothing is more harmful to that environment than cell towers.

The Bergs each mentioned legal action they or organizations they were involved with had taken against government bodies that sought to promote cell tower expansion, including a case in which the Environmental Health Trust sued the FCC over its wireless radiation exposure guidance and won.

According to the court opinion in that case, the court did not wish to second-guess the FCC’s regulations in its ruling, but found that the FCC had not properly justified said regulations in response to public comments.

UDC member Larry Richardson asked the Bergs to send the council information on viable alternatives to cell towers. Other members of the council were much more abrasively skeptical of their positions.

Do you want to see cell towers in the Delaware River corridor? See above for a poll!

Skinners Falls

The UDC also reviewed the most recent documents on the Skinners Falls bridge repair project.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation released in June a revised purpose and need document and a response to public comments received on the draft document; see riverreporter.com/stories/studying-skinners-falls,57553 for more information on these documents.

Ramie reviewed both documents and found that some of the objectionable statements in the purpose and need document had been softened. “I was pleased to see that changes we suggested did get incorporated,” said Ramie.

Despite that softening, UDC members still held to the consensus that PennDOT was likely to tear the bridge down and build a modern one in its place.

Lumberland representative Nadia Rajsz said that the progression of the project reminded her of the progression of the Pond Eddy bridge project, which had resulted in the loss of a historic bridge at that site.

cell tower, Upper Delaware Council, cell service, safety, health, Skinners Falls

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