Shuchi Shah / The New Pine Plains Herald
At its May 7 meeting, the Ancram Planning Board did not reach a resolution on two proposed projects: a 100-foot cell tower proposed by Homeland Towers at 6534 Route 22 and a 9.45-acre solar array proposed by RIC Energy at 3333 Route 82.
Public hearings for the solar array and cell tower have been ongoing since April and July 2025, respectively.
David Kenny, the attorney for Homeland Towers, opened the meeting by pointing to a recent car accident on Route 22 in which he said first responders experienced poor phone service.
“We’re really trying to fill an important gap in service,” Kenny said. “Your first responders have already experienced issues with this service gap during the interim of this application process.”
Addressing the issue, Susan O’Sullivan, a member of the town’s Conservation Advisory Council, brought up the existence of a wireless broadband network for first responders called FirstNet.
“It already exists in dedicated infrastructure called FirstNet to handle gaps in transmission service,” she said. “FirstNet is a federally established express lane for emergencies and prioritizes traffic on existing networks and already covers the stretch of Route 22.”
Planning Board Clerk Sarah MacArthur, who said she has been a firefighter for many years, clarified that subscribers would still need cell service to use FirstNet.
“If I’m SOS, it doesn’t matter that I have FirstNet,” she said. “I still can’t call or text or do anything. It’s just priority on the network.”
Ancram Fire Company Chief David Boice was not present at the meeting, but in a letter to the board dated Oct. 31, he stated that, provided the proposed installation and site plan meet all requirements of the New York State Fire Code, including access, clearance and strategy standards, the Ancram Fire Company has no objections to the project.
At a previous meeting in April, the board issued a negative declaration under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, finding the project would not result in significant adverse environmental impacts and that an environmental impact statement was not required. Several members of the Conservation Advisory Council said they remained concerned about the visual impact.
“I’ve driven north and south on [Route] 22 hundreds of times, and have always marveled at the expansive vistas of the Scenic Corridor Overlay Zone,” O’Sullivan said. “For me and my family, the calm we feel here and the views that surround us are the reasons we came, and want to stay.”
The board approved a motion for Town Attorney John Lyons to review the council’s comments, including its Dec. 4 letter, which lists the group’s concerns.
Vincent Xavier, regional manager for Homeland Towers, urged the board to reach a decision.
“I really don’t have any more information I can give you,” Xavier said. “We’ve answered all the questions. There’s no other design options I can give you. There’s no other maps I can show you.”
“We just need to get to the end of this and make a decision one way or the other,” he said.
Solar Array
RIC Energy submitted a new visual assessment in March that included pad-mounted solar panels rather than the previously proposed pole-mounted configuration. Lyons said the town’s consultants, Nan Stolzenburg and George James, are still reviewing the new assessment.
At the public hearing, Rhea Mallet, an attorney representing residents opposed to the project, argued that RIC Energy still has not provided several items required by the zoning law, including accurate photo simulations and a decommissioning plan.
“This application is incomplete by this local code and should be rejected at the June 4 meeting,” she said.
In response, Ciara Hopkins, project manager at RIC Energy, said the new visual assessment includes photographs taken from different points within a two-mile radius.
“I think that’s a really good indication of what the actual conditions are rather than only relying on software, without seeing in real-life what that looks like,” Hopkins said.
Lyons recommended that board members discuss the updated submission with the town consultants before drawing a conclusion.
In other business, the board approved a lot line adjustment for Hayden and Richard Geer’s property at 65 County Route 3 and approved a motion to set up escrow for engineering review of a property on County Route 7.
The next Ancram Planning Board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. June 4.