WGXC-90.7 FM
Hudson Planning Board hears pitch for putting antennas on Providence Hall roof
Nov 03, 2020 6:00 am
Aliya Schneider is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Verizon Wireless is looking to install six antennae on the roof of Providence Hall at 119 Columbia Street in Hudson. Bell Atlantic Mobile Systems is requesting a special-use permit on behalf of Verizon to install the equipment. The application requests permission to put in place 4G equipment, not 5G equipment, which has been rumored, Planning Board Chairperson Betsy Gramkow said at a recent planning board public hearing. The antennae would be installed in three different locations, under the proposal. Although the application is incomplete, the board opened the hearing, which will continue at 6 p.m., Tue., Nov. 10. “The application is missing some technical information which has been requested,” city attorney Victoria Polidoro said. “This board chose to schedule the hearing early on so that it could begin receiving public comments.” The board is not permitted to consider health impacts of telecommunications installations according to federal law, Gramkow said. “We are severely constrained by the Federal Communications Commission,” she said. Glenn Roney, a Providence Hall resident, said he was disturbed to hear about the proposal over concern for the safety of the elderly and disabled who live in the building. “The entire community of Hudson should rally to the cry of ‘Not on my roof, not in my backyard, not anywhere near a residential community,’ especially in such a non-gentrified, impoverished, almost forgotten area of the city,” Roney said. Planning board members raised questions about transparency of the application and if it was necessary for the antennae to be located in Hudson. The board asked for site evaluative criteria and site selection alternatives with the application, which were not received, member Larry Bowne said. Gramkow encouraged members of the public to continue to send comments to the board regarding the proposal as the public hearing continues. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.