For Immediate Release: December 14, 2007
Contact:
Keith P. McKeever | Public Relations | Adirondack Park Agency
contact@apa.ny.gov | (518) 891-4050
RAY BROOK, NY – Adirondack Park Agency approves Verizon North Hudson telecommunications permit. Agency has issued 54 telecommunications permits since September 2000.
The Adirondack Park Agency, established in 1971, is a New York State Agency that strives to balance natural resources protection with the sustainability needs of Adirondack Park communities. Among the agency’s responsibilities is review of virtually all new telecommunication facility proposals. Under the Adirondack Park Agency Act, the agency must determine that each proposed telecommunication facility is consistent and compatible with the Adirondack Park Land Use and Development Plan and that the public benefits of proposals will not have an “undue adverse impact” on the unique natural resources of the Adirondack Park.
In 1978, the agency adopted a towers policy that discouraged mountaintop towers and promoted the co-location of facilities on existing structures. Advancements in the telecommunications industry combined with the demands of government services and public safety factors lead the Agency to revise its towers policy in August of 2000. This process included substantial input from all stakeholders and a thorough public comment period. The revised policy, adopted in February 2002, still promotes co-location and avoidance of mountaintops but takes into consideration that changing technology will result in requests for construction of new towers for improved telecommunications systems.
Under the revised towers policy the agency has evaluated and approved specific locations and designs for 54 telecommunication proposals ensuring facilities are “substantially invisible” and near existing settlements or highway corridors where telephone and electric power is accessible. The Park Agency has not denied any telecommunication proposals during this time period. Proposals have been modified in some instances to adhere to the towers policy.
At the December 14, 2007 Agency meeting the Full Agency Board recommended approval for the first of 13 new telecommunications towers that Verizon plans to install to address cell phone service along the Northway Corridor from Lake George to Keeseville. The Verizon plan will upgrade five existing towers for a total of 18 telecommunication towers. The North Hudson site is located along US Route 9 in the Town of North Hudson, Essex County. The project includes the construction of an 84-foot telecommunications tower with a 12-panel antenna array (four 8-foot panels on each of three sides of the array) and a 10-foot high lightening rod attached to the top of the tower. The overall height of the proposed tower will be 94 feet. This tower will provide three miles of coverage in a north and south direction from the site along the corridor. Based on visual analysis staff concluded that the tower site would be substantially invisible. Verizon selected a site that included vegetative and topographic backdrops which blend the tower into the surrounding hillside. The Full Agency agreed and approved the proposal at the Friday December 14 meeting.
Telecommunication efforts to address the Northway Corridor
During the past year agency staff participated in numerous meetings and conducted site visits to assist telecommunication vendors in identifying sites that are compliant with the towers policy. Staff identified three possible options to address the Northway.
The first option dealt with new tower proposals. Under the APA Act telecommunication projects outside of Hamlet land use areas are Class A regional project and require a major project permit application. This is a more time consuming and work intensive process. Applicants must conduct site engineering, visual analysis and submit materials to prove no undue adverse impacts will occur as a result of the project. Major projects require a 15 day public notice period and must be reviewed and approved by the Agency Board. Staff assisted Verizon conduct visual analysis during the year to help expedite site selection and application submissions. As a result Verizon developed a proposal to cover the Northway Corridor between Lake George and Keeseville which involves 18 permanent sites including five existing sites and 13 proposed sites. The 18 sites start at the south end of the corridor at Lake George, Exit 21 and work north to Keeseville, Exit 34. The Agency approved the first of these towers at its December meeting and anticipates reviewing two more sites at the January. The remaining applications will be completed and reviewed in the early part of 2008.
The second option agency staff discussed was utilizing General Permit 2005G-3. This general permit authorizes an expedited Agency approval process for:
• Replacement of existing or installation of new telecommunications antennas on preexisting towers and towers previously approved by the Agency where there will be no significant adverse change in the overall visibility of the tower as seen from public viewing points.
• New telecommunications antennas on existing structures (e.g., water tanks, buildings) where such antennas are of a design, size, location and color to blend with the existing structures so as to be “substantially invisible.”
The General Permit requires the applicant to provide application materials that will allow staff to determine no undue adverse impacts and substantial invisibility but does not require the Agency to hold the 15 day public notice period nor bring the project to the Agency Board for review and approval. This will eliminate four to six weeks from the approval process. Verizon will use the general permit for five of the 18 sites.
The third option discussed involved temporary towers (Communication on Wheels). Initial proposals focused on installing temporary towers at rest areas along the Northway corridor. Regulatory oversight from the Federal Highway Administration, safety concerns raised by the Department of Transportation and expense related to infrastructure improvements ultimately render this option impractical.
In early fall discussion began in earnest to locate temporary towers on private lands in proximity to the Northway corridor. Agency staff was contacted by Independent Towers and conducted preliminary site visits in November. Staff visited with Independent Towers, LLC three identified sites and advised them that all three sites appeared to be approvable and offered the following advice:
1. Exit 29 site – A temporary tower in Hamlet land use area (parking lot for old Frontier Town amusement park) under 40 feet in height would be Non Jurisdictional requiring no APA review.
2. North Hudson - A new tower on the west side of Route 9 require a permit application; staff indicated that the site potentially complies with the Towers policy and invited Independent Towers to submit an application.
3. Lewis – A new tower between exits 32 & 33, south of Deerhead-Reber Road on the west side of Route 9. Staff advised that the site is potentially compliant with the towers policy and invited Independent Towers to submit an application.
On December 10, staff also advised that co-location on the Essex County Public Safety Building could be eligible for a general permit. As of December 14, the Agency has not received any plans, proposals or jurisdictional inquires regarding the temporary towers alternative.