Shandaken’s Planning Board voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a 50-foot wireless tower at the Big Indian-Oliverea Fire Department, addressing a service gap in the area.

The tower will provide Verizon service within 0.4 miles of the firehouse at 8 Firehouse Rd. Customers of other carriers will be able to use the network for emergency 911 calls, Verizon said.

“It’s just an attempt to provide some service that’s much needed in the area,” Scott Olson, an attorney representing Verizon, said at the Planning Board meeting.

The Verizon tower is less than a third as tall as a 160-foot tower that town officials approved last year in Mount Tremper. It’s also far shorter than a Verizon tower proposed last May in Phoenicia, initially envisioned at 199 feet, nearly 20 feet above the town’s 180-foot height limit. Amid pushback from residents, the town tried to increase the maximum allowable height but tabled the resolution.

“It’s not a typical tower,” Olson said of the project, which will include a 9-by-10-foot fenced equipment compound. “It’s a small facility which is basically a 50-foot utility pole with an antenna at the top.”

The town still needs better coverage, according to Supervisor Barbara Mansfield.

“Lack of cell service was one of the top three issues of concern expressed by Shandaken residents,” Mansfield said. “We still need a tower to relay cell and radio signals for emergency services, particularly in Phoenicia.”

Kyle Bredberg is an intern and contributing reporter. You can reach him at reporting@theoverlooknews.com.