Saugerties residents again raised concerns about safety and aesthetics stemming from a proposed 80-foot Verizon cell tower at the Cantine Field sports complex.
“The tower is close to school and children,” resident Misha Jolly said Tuesday at the planning board’s second public hearing on the issue, citing research on radio frequency radiation.
Yet the tower, to be built on a vacant portion of the 67-acre park, would boost poor reception in the area that hampers 911 calls and service during large events, said Verizon attorney Jame LaValle.
“Anyone who has coverage in the area knows it’s horrific,” LaValle said.
The tower also meets federal safety standards, he said. “When the tower is at 100% usage, it emits less than 2% of the FCC levels,” he said, comparing the exposure to “a baby monitor or microwave.”
FCC guidelines, last updated in 1996, set maximum permissible exposure of radio frequency radiation for the general public at about 580 microwatts per square centimeter. Critics say those standards are outdated.
A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study found evidence of tumors in rats exposed to cell phone radio frequency radiation. Researchers at Yale reported effects on neurodevelopment and behavior in mice.
In 2019, the FCC ended a review of its radio frequency radiation rules, but in 2021 a federal appeals court called that decision “arbitrary and capricious.” The case remains pending.
The Town Board voted to lease the site to Verizon last November, a deal that Supervisor Fred Costello says could bring the town more than $20,000 a month.
Others have criticized its aesthetics.
“A cell tower in Cantine Field would be an ugly eyesore for anyone enjoying the park,” George and Rita Beisel wrote in a submission to the first public hearing in July. The proposal “will not only affect Saugerties’ Cantine Field park, but sets the precedent to add cell towers to any or all of our other protected parks/green spaces in Saugerties.”
The board will continue its review at the next meeting, on Sept. 16, said Planning Board Secretary Becky Bertorelli.
Jolly, for one, said she doubts public input will change the outcome.
“It really does seem like it’s a done deal,” she said.
Jim Rich is a reporter for The Overlook. You can reach him at jim@theoverlooknews.com.
