BC News

District to move forward with formal cell tower review
Release Date: Nov. 20, 2009

The district will move forward with a formal review of its proposal to generate some non-tax revenue by developing a cell tower in a wooded area near its Operations and Maintenance facility.

Following a public informational session as part of its Nov. 18 meeting, the Board voted 4-3 in favor of signing a letter of consent for its consultant on the project, Independent Towers LLC, to proceed with the tower application process before the Town of Bethlehem’s planning and zoning boards.

Independent Towers provided an overview of the project at the outset of the Board’s Nov. 18 meeting.

According to firm representative Dan Schweigard, Independent Towers already has assurances from one cell phone carrier to locate its equipment on the 110-foot tower. This could bring as much as $24,000 for the district in the first year, with those revenues escalating in subsequent years and as additional carriers locate on the tower.

The site of the proposed tower is tucked into a patch of woods between the district’s Operations and Maintenance facility and Elm Avenue. This location is on the southeast corner of 140 acres of district-owned land that also includes the High School and transportation facility.

Board members noted that in these tough economic times, every bit of non-tax revenue helps the district. Instead of comparing the initial potential cell tower revenue of $24,000 to the overall district budget, they suggested a better way to view it would be alongside some of the cuts that the Board has been forced to consider in this difficult budget climate.

For example, the many budget reductions and savings enacted by the Board in the current budget included $10,000 for lights for evening athletic games, $6,500 for elementary school advisorships, and $5,000 in science supply budget reductions to name a few.

Board members requested that community members concerned about the cell tower issue participate in the community budget forums and Board’s budget development process this winter and spring.
The initial idea for the cell towers grew out of last year’s community budget forums, when residents asked the district to step up its search for non-tax revenue.

In addition to the area near the Operations and Maintenance facility, Independent Towers initially proposed exploring the possibility of sites on the properties of Hamagrael and Clarksville elementary schools for cell tower development. The Board agreed to abandon any consideration of elementary sites in October.

The first step in the application process for the Operations and Maintenance site is a review by the Town of Bethlehem Zoning Board of Appeals. The tower project requires a variance and special use permit from the ZBA, along with site plan review from the town Planning Board.

Each of those bodies is expected to hold formal public hearings as part of their review process. More information about the timeline of the application process will be made available in the coming weeks.

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