RAY BROOK -- The Adirondack Park Agency has given approval for another cell tower for the Northway.
APA Deputy Director for Regulatory Programs Mark Sengenberger told the APA Board of Commissioners at the recent meeting that cell-towers applications have been coming in "hot and heavy," with several new applications that could improve coverage in the Adirondack Park.
The latest project approved is a 69-foot tower designed to mimic a pine tree.
The Verizon Wireless array will add service south of Exit 33 along a three-to-four-mile stretch of highway below Poke-o-moonshine Mountain.
The road winds through a narrow gap between steep cliffs in the Town of Chesterfield, leaving the telecommunications company with few available sites, said APA Planner Skip Outcalt.
As with all cell-tower applications, Verizon was required to create computer simulations of the tower to ensure that the array would be "substantially invisible," as required by the APA's Towers Policy.
When it came time to vote, only a minority opposed the plan.
"This is one of the most dramatic places in the state of New York, and I think we need to look at alternatives," Commissioner Dick Booth said. "I think the simulated tree is going to stick out like a sore thumb."
During the final vote, Department of Economic Development appointee Christopher Walsh joined Booth in opposition. But they were outnumbered, and the project passed 9-2.
Regulatory Programs Committee Chairwoman Lani Ulrich said commissioners need to consider health and safety concerns.
"I don't want anyone else to die on this road because they don't have cell service," she said.
The APA has been under pressure to approve cell-phone towers since a fatal January 2007 crash in which a 63-year-old Brooklyn man died of hypothermia.
State Police reported that the man and his wife were unable to call for help because of the lack of cell coverage.
This latest tower is the fifth to be approved by the APA this year, and more are expected in coming months.
"There's at least a half-dozen applications pending in various forms," said Keith McKeever, the agency's spokesman. "Three of those are for the Northway."
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