by Gary Danforth
The Town of Hoosick Planning Board meeting took place this past Monday evening, October 19 in the Hoosick Falls Armory with Chairman Jim Dunigan calling the meeting to order at 7:30 pm. Following the Pledge of Allegiance the minutes of the previous month’s meeting were approved with one correction noted. There were five Board members present along with Board Attorney Stan King and Recording Secretary Karen Jennings.
The first thing the Board did was close a public hearing which had been held one half hour before the regular meeting to answer any questions the local community had about the proposed addition of services to an existing cell tower.
In the first action before the Board, Chris Bevins, of Black and Beach, representing AT&T, again appeared wanting to put up a 12 foot by 20 foot structure below a pre-existing cell tower at 469 Wilson Hill Road. AT&T would also like to build a five foot by eleven foot generator pad. A generator would be transported to the site three to four hours after a power outage so that phone service could continue in the event of emergencies. It was explained that AT&T would lease six antennas for five years with four renewals of this package. An application and site plan for same was previously submitted. A long form environmental assessment form (EAF) had been submitted and reviewed, with no environmental impact on the area found. A copy of the applicant’s Federal Communication License had been submitted. Previously, a report by AT&T’s engineer as to the tower’s structure was submitted. Russ Reave, an engineer acting on the Town’s behalf, had looked at the structure and noted that he wanted to see an updated structural analysis of the existing tower before the Board should approve same. Reave had looked at the 2001 analysis and found it to be satisfactory but wanted to see an updated copy for 2009. The Board also wanted a $75,000 bond on the tower to protect the Town in case the tower has to be taken down and a certificate of insurance for protection for the Town for liability. The Board also wanted insurance for workers’ compensation and disability. The tower sits on .28 acres. Also, a communication dish on the 130 foot tower will most likely be moved down to 80 feet, per the request of Rensselaer County, if it can be done without negatively impacting the operation of the tower. The tower’s certificate of insurance and binder are in place, and the tower meets current Federal Communication Commission laws.
Reave told the Board that he wanted to see the existing tower grounded in case of electrical storms. He also wanted the company to furnish the Board and himself with a letter on both the allowable and applied structural analysis load limits which the existing tower would support. Also, Reave wanted a letter on the corrosive condition of the present day tower, basically saying the tower was still in good structural condition for this proposed project. A letter will be given to Town Building Inspector Ed King stating that everything about this project met building code standards according to current State engineering codes. Bevins thought all this information could be assembled and given to Reave and King within two weeks. With all the new information requested, the Board passed a motion to approve the cell tower contingent upon Reave and King getting the required information, thereby completing a process which had begun some months ago.
A party approached the Board saying another party had asked to buy two acres from an existing parcel. After hearing from the Board that all acreage needed road access and that this would necessitate the sale of a 50 foot strip of land the whole length of the existing parcel to ensure road frontage for the proposed buyer, the party said they would come back before the Board with more information at a later date. At this time it appeared there was no road frontage to the proposed land sale from either the east, west, north or south.
The brief, important, informative meeting adjourned at 7:58 pm.