To the Editor:

Last Thursday, Dec. 6, a legal notice appeared in The Altamont Enterprise announcing a public hearing with the village planning board on Monday, Dec. 17, about constructing a 124-foot cell tower directly above the village.

Public input is sought on a request from Enterprise Consulting Services (ECS) of Slingerlands for a special-use permit and site plan approval to erect a cell tower on Agawam Lane. It will be by the blue village water tanks off Berne-Altamont Road on the right, just past the curve after the Fredendall Funeral home, and before Altamont Manor.

The special-use permit is required because the proposed tower will be 124 feet high, 24 feet higher than the zoning code permits.

In 2013, the village signed a land lease with ECS so it could “market the proposed tower to communications companies,” per The Altamont Enterprise. Then-Trustee Kerry Dineen said the land lease was to only market space on the cell tower, as a first step, and public input would be sought if the marketing efforts were successful.

There wasn’t enough interest from telephone companies at that time, so no cell tower was constructed. However, ECS maintained its lease and is trying again. This time, ECS found renters, and thus the project is moving forward.

In November, when we saw a legal notice that ECS was gathering information for the State Historic Preservation Office about the historic impact of a cell tower, Mayor Dineen assured me that “as with all projects of this nature, public input will be vital,” and that we would have an opportunity to give input when it went to the planning board.

Having just found out about the planning board meeting last Thursday, and having only 11 days right before Christmas to make people aware of something that will greatly impact the natural and historic character of Altamont, I am hoping the planning council will either postpone or extend the public hearing for a month.

Here are some issues to consider:

— Have residents nearby received notification?

— Who would be impacted by decreased property values?

— Why have some local governments halted cell towers and cell antennas near residences because of concerns of the higher density of radiation in the close vicinity?

— Will the tower be substantially visible over the tree line from the village and surrounding areas, including High Point and Thacher Park? How will our viewshed be forever changed?

— Has the village considered other design alternatives to minimize its visual impact or alternative sites?

— Given how much time and effort the community engaged in our zoning and planning documents to protect the character of the village, should we be subjected to an intrusion from a cell tower that would imperil the scenic, aesthetic, and historically significant value of the village?

It is up to the citizens and village board to protect Altamont’s scenic landscape. This is another example where the village board should work with the community to solve a problem — in this case, cell coverage — while at the same time preserving what makes Altamont unique. We must work together to satisfy both interests — not one over the other.

I urge people to come express their thoughts on Monday, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m. at Village Hall. Once a cell tower goes up, it’s too late.

Kristin Casey

Altamont