Town residents made it clear that they were adamantly opposed to a second cell tower in the Town of Gardiner at a public hearing April 5 at the Town Hall.

All 22 speakers, who either attended the hearing in person or via a Zoom call, urged the Town Board to turn down a special-use permit being sought by Wireless Edge to construct a 110-foot cell tower near the Gardiner Highway Department at 630 South Mountain Road.

Opponents of the cell tower had previously voiced their opposition to the cell tower to the Town Planning Board at several public hearings. At its March 22 meeting, the planning board passed a resolution formalizing the tentative Negative Declaration that it had issued at its February meeting for the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) for Wireless Edge’s cell tower.

The next step of the approval process is for the Town Board to review the special-use permit. If Wireless Edge gets that approval, its application returns to the planning board for completion of the site plan review.
One by one, speakers voiced their concerns over how the proposed cell tower would ruin views of the scenic Shawangunk Ridge, impact property values, conflict with the goals of the town’s Comprehensive Plan and have a negative impact on tourism. Several speakers said they’d rather live with the spotty cell service in the town than have a second cell tower built in Gardiner.

Town officials have said the second tower is needed to improve cell service in the western portion of the town.

Tim Hunter led off the parade of speakers by citing the town’s chapter on zoning laws, saying that should put an end to the proposed tower. He cited Gardiner law 220-46, which deals specifically with Wireless Telecommunication Facilities (WTF).

“The Town laws and zoning explicitly forbid this type of project for this location,” Hunter said. “This should not even be controversial. This project should be rejected based on the law. It is the intent of this section to protect the following specific resources of the Town from any adverse effects resulting from the installation and operation of WTFs:

• The Shawangunk Ridge.

• Viewsheds and scenic vistas from highways, including Town, county and state roads.

• Viewsheds and scenic vistas from various neighborhoods and residential properties.”

Andrew Campinelli, a lawyer who represents nearly 50 town homeowners, said Wireless Edge needs to produce drive test data to validate its application.

He said Wireless Edge has provided only computer-generated maps to show the proposed cell tower’s coverage.

“Significantly last summer, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) itself recognized that these maps should not be accepted because they are inaccurate and completely unreliable,” he said. “They can be manipulated. I’m not saying these are, but I’m saying they can be.”

John Sorensen said he couldn’t believe town officials would consider erecting another cell tower in one of the most picturesque areas in the country. He said he and his wife haven’t seen anything more scenic in their travels across the United States than the views of the Shawangunk Ridge.

“There is nothing prettier than driving north on Bruynswick Road,” he said. “Those mountains are stunning. Why we would put a scar on that view by choice is mindboggling to me. It’s such a wonderful resource. I don’t know why we would choose that structure (cell tower) there.”

Justin Bridges said he purchased property in Gardiner right before the pandemic with the idea of building a new home. He said he didn’t anticipate having to deal with a cell tower near his property at the time of his purchase.

“I saved up a lot and was working hard to have a home upstate in a place I’ve grown to really love,” he said. “It’s (the cell tower) going to be the first thing that is going to take down the property value once I build my home. Why would anybody put up a cell tower that it seems nobody needs?”

Marilyn Perry suggested interviewing people in other areas that live near cell towers to understand the effect they have on living conditions.

We don’t know what the Goliath out there really is like,” she said.

At the end of the public comment, the Town Board decided to leave the public hearing open for at least another week. The board will review the findings of a 25-page report from newly hired radio frequency engineer William Johnson before making any decision, Supervisor Marybeth Majestic said.

Majestic said she wasn’t surprised by the public’s condemnation of the proposed cell tower.

“No, I expected it,” she said, noting that it was pretty much the same reaction at the planning board hearings, on social media and during a recent balloon test.