In July of 2023, Mayor Pugh appointed a group of residents to the Telecommunications Advisory Committee (TAC) to assist with the creation of a master plan that would address Croton’s wireless telecommunications needs both by updating the Village’s outdated legal codes governing telecommunications and by working with TeleVate, a telecommunications consulting company hired to study Croton’s cell coverage gaps.
Unfortunately, the work done by TeleVate, which was shared with the TAC, has been continually misrepresented by Village officials to support their preferred outcome that favors building cell towers on municipal property at 10 Gerstein Road (behind CET) and 230 Hessian Hills Road, even though no engineering studies have shown that cell towers at these locations would best meet Croton’s cell coverage needs. While the latest draft of the law lists “Parcels within the PRE District owned by the Village of Croton-on-Hudson,” earlier drafts listed 10 Gerstein Road.
On February 19, 2024 the TAC sent a letter to the Board of Trustees stating that, while the draft law is a significant improvement, it is fundamentally flawed. The law specifically exempts proposals for new cell towers on Village land from requirements that apply to all other locations, and which are intended to demonstrate that the proposed location is optimal for improving cell service. It also bypasses the Planning Board specifically for new towers on Village land, reducing scrutiny and input.
Without having addressed the concerns of the mayor-appointed TAC, the Board of Trustees has scheduled a public hearing on the draft law for April 10, 2024
Croton residents have gone too long with poor cell service to miss this opportunity to enact a law that prioritizes the best coverage for the most residents.
We encourage residents to review the draft law for themselves and attend the April 10 public meeting to voice their opinions. For a link to a copy of the draft law, a list of clauses that show the law is unfit, or to help bring awareness on this issue, please contact: info@crotontelecom.org
—Croton Residents for Responsible Telecom
Croton Residents for Responsible Telecom
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