PINE BUSH – Clinton Cooper and Rita Hanson, residents of Red Mills Road outside Pine Bush, are leading an effort to mitigate the effects of Verizon's proposed cell tower in the critical viewshed of the Shawangunk Ridge, which Crawford planning board chair Linda Zwart has called "the most scenic view of the entire town."

The proposed tower, a 154 foot monopole that would go up within 500 feet of the boundary between Crawford and Shawangunk, will be very visible from the Sam's Point Preserve and other points on the Shawangunk Ridge.

Its location necessitated review by the Orange County Department of Planning, who noted in a letter that "the most significant issue presented involves the potential visual impact to the scenic quality of the Shawangunk Mountains Scenic Byway. As such, the proposed action may have significant inter-community and countywide planning and zoning impacts unless mitigated by finding an alternative that is less obtrusive to the scenic beauty and historic character of the landscape." The letter goes on to suggest a thorough search for an alternative site.

A group of affected residents has contacted attorney Michael Sussman seeking guidance on how to seek mitigation of this potentially ugly project. He, in a letter of response to planners and Verizon, pointed out that the proposed tower is not needed to deal with usage overload in the town, since two extant towers have the capacity to do that; and that the proposed location, at the northern edge of Crawford, will not serve areas with poor cell coverage at the southern end, in Circleville, which has been a priority for the town of Crawford.

The proposed tower is "obviously intended to serve the Watchtower community (the Printery) located just north, in the town of Shawangunk, Sussman added, suggesting that the proposed cell tower be located on the Watchtower property instead. He further notes that analysis of alternative sites is "weak and excludes available sites in Crawford which would have less impact upon existing homeowners."

Verizon, represented by their attorney Scott Olson, last appeared before the Crawford planning board in September, having cancelled a scheduled October appearance at the last minute. At press time it was not yet known whether Verizon would appear at the board's December 13 meeting.