I am organizing a group to oppose construction of a 10- to 15-story cellphone tower on land adjacent to the historic Cold Spring Cemetery on Peekskill Road.
The project’s builder, Homeland Towers, was denied a permit by the Nelsonville Building Department, but the decision is being appealed to the Zoning Board. A meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 29, at 8 p.m. at the Philipstown Town Hall, 238 Main St., in Cold Spring.
We all understand the need for adequate cell-phone coverage, but the siting of this tower overlooking this landmark is a desecration and an insult to the community. Among others, the cemetery is the final resting place of Washington and Emily Roebling, builders of the Brooklyn Bridge; Julia Butterfield, the widow of Civil War hero Daniel Butterfield (a Medal of Honor recipient and author of Taps) who endowed the Butterfield Library and Butterfield Hospital; Robert Parrott, inventor of the Parrott Gun, a decisive weapon in the Civil War; and Medal of Honor recipient James Bennett.
I urge you to attend the meeting to have our voices heard. Email [email protected] for more information. We hope that Homeland Towers realizes that this proposed siting is extraordinarily insensitive. Our community would like to work with the company to find a more appropriate site.
Frances O’Neill, Nelsonville
What might be the height, in feet or meters, of a 10- to 15-story cell phone tower? Does anyone know?
Who owns the property that the cell tower will be sited upon?
The height of the tower will be 110 feet plus a 20- to 30-foot whip antenna.