Letters to the editor: Thursday, March 20

Thanks from the Fire Co.

On Sunday, March 16, the Amenia Fire Company sponsored our monthly Pancake Breakfast. We were pleased to have a large crowd of 187 people in attendance for our monthly meal. We rely on the breakfasts to raise needed money for general operations and we always appreciate the support of the community. We thank everyone who attends our events and due to Easter falling on the third Sunday, we have moved our next and final breakfast of the season to April 13.

Andy Murphy,

on behalf of the Breakfast Committee, Amenia Fire Co.

Amenia

Concern: 150-foot cell tower proposed on Rte. 22

I wonder how many people in our local area realize that there is a 150-foot cell tower proposed on the east side of Route 22 just north of the intersection with Catalano Road in Ancram.While there may be a need to improve cellphone service in our vicinity, I am concerned about the possibility of erecting a 150-foot cell tower in Ancram’s Scenic Corridor Overlay Zone along Route 22.The proposed site, at a rise in the highway, would make the cell tower a featured part of the landscape for anyone driving north or south along Route 22. And it would have a very negative impact on the broad and open expanse of the Oblong Valley for residents of Ancram, Millerton, and other neighboring towns.We must determine whether there are alternative places to site the tower.

Here is a portion of the Scenic Corridor Overlay Zone text from the Ancram zoning law: “The Town of Ancram, New York, recognizes that the New York State Route 22 corridor and that portion of the Harlem Valley lying within that corridor, including the Taconic State Park and its mountain ranges and Fox Hill, are some of the Town’s and surrounding community’s premium scenic assets.

Within this corridor there exists a confluence of valuable assets for the Town and its residents including, but not limited to, environmental, recreational and scenic resources, and these scenic resources contribute significantly to the overall rural character of the town and possess attributes which the community seeks to preserve and enhance, while accommodating growth and change.”

The zoning law that covers the Scenic Corridor Overlay Zone also notes that any telecommunication tower within the Scenic Corridor Overlay Zone must be limited to 100 foot.Homeland Towers and Verizon seek to build a very tall and obtrusive 150ft cell tower well above the reasonable limit set by the town zoning. Constructing a 150-foot cell tower at this site would be a huge intrusion upon and devaluation of the special recognized character of this area.We hope that the Ancram Zoning Board of Appeals will deny the major variance for a 150-foot cell tower.We encourage the ZBA to uphold the 100-foot cell tower limit, thus preserving the scenic value rather than damaging it.

The Oblong Valley area is home to several noteworthy and scenic hiking and recreational areas that include the Columbia Land Conservancy’s Overmountain Conservation Area, the Harlem Valley Rail Trail, the Taconic State Park Rudd Pond Area, and the Taconic Ridge Trail over Brace and South Brace Mountains.Views from these well-used and treasured recreational areas should be preserved rather than diminished.

Balloon tests at 100 feet and 150 feet for this proposed cell tower are set to take place on upcoming Saturdays when the wind is predicted to be light.So far, four Saturdays have proven to be too windy to run the tests.Please do your part to protect our scenic corridor and the Oblong Valley by finding out more about this proposal, observing balloon tests to assess the visual impact of the cell tower, and informing your neighbors of this cell tower proposal.Help to preserve this valuable scenic and recreational community resource.

Jane H. Meigs

Millerton, New York