A proposed cell phone tower in the Town of Shawangunk has been stirring the ire of some residents who believe that its construction will obstruct the scenic views of the mountains.

Verizon Wireless and the company Cellco have proposed the plan to build a 120-foot-tall cell phone tower in the area. The design, known as a flagpole, will hide the antenna on the inside of the pole. The tower is being proposed on private property at 23 Twin Ponds Lane.

“We understand the need, we understand the technology, but we just don’t think it’s the right place because it opens the door in the town for the next thing down the road. They’re going to want to put up fifteen 200-foot wind towers next,” said John Richardson.

According to Donna Richardson, who opposes the building of the tower, the tower will be able to be seen from Hoagerburgh Road, Albany Post Road and Sand Hill Road.

The next planned meeting on the cell tower is at 7 p.m. on Sept. 7. Open discussion on the cell phone tower will continue on that date.

The tower will be used to gain better reception for cell phones in the area. Cell phones communicate with nearby cell towers mainly through radio frequency (RF) waves, a form of energy in the electromagnetic spectrum between FM radio waves and microwaves. Like FM radio waves, microwaves, visible light, and heat, they are forms of non-ionizing radiation.

According to Donna Richardson, five years ago Verizon approached her and her husband with the idea to build the cell tower but they declined.

“It is going to mar the view. It’s going to take away from the beauty of that mountain range,” said Donna Richardson.

Richardson said the Town of Shawangunk Planning Board needs to make a decision quickly because the Federal Communications Commission is required to make a decision in a timely fashion.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) had expressed concern about the project as there are eagles nesting in the proposed area, but when asked, Donna Richardson said that it had been discounted by the DEC.

“We’re not going to kill any bald eagles and we’re not going to disturb any bald eagles.  It’s really not an issue,” said project representative Scott Olsen at the last Planning Board meeting, as originally reported by Rachel Coleman of the Wallkill Valley Times.

The Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge is one of New York’s top 10 areas for grassland dependent migratory birds. This habitat was formerly the Galeville Military Airport and in 1994, the U.S. Department of Defense determined it no longer needed the site. It was subsequently transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1999. The property is a unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System and was created when the military filled wetlands with tons of earth to make it an airstrip in the 1940s.

“What I understand is that once they put it up they can sell tower space to other companies – AT&T or Sprint or whatever – and they make money that way,” said John Richardson.

By JAMES NANI