There will be no temporary cell tower in the Redwood area of Sag Harbor, at least not for now.
In the summer of 2020, the Sag Harbor Village Board granted Verizon approval to install a Cell on Wheels — otherwise known as a temporary cell tower, or COW — at WLNG on Redwood Road. In October 2021, Verizon sought to extend the use of the temporary tower, but tabled the request after resident opposition. Now, the application is dead, after the same group of some 200 village residents, led by Emma Hamilton, convinced the Sag Harbor Village Board to vote against the application. It was a split vote, 3-to-2.
On Tuesday night, Ms. Hamilton read to the board from a letter arguing, for both aesthetic and safety reasons, against putting up a tower in wetlands abutting the village historic district. She also pointed out errors in the Verizon application, and said it was ironic that cell service, if the tower were operational, would be most improved for residents in Upper Sag Harbor Cove, the same people who were fighting strongly against the tower.
Deputy Mayor Thomas Gardella spoke in favor of the tower as he has in the past. “I didn’t hear environmental concerns brought up” when the tower was proposed, he said, adding that he’d heard many complaints about poor cell service, especially during the summer months. The tower, he argued, wasn’t a permanent solution, but a necessary one in case of emergencies.
Ed Haye, a trustee, said he was “persuaded by the deputy mayor’s belief that this is important for emergency services,” but that a “more permanent solution” was needed.
Aidan Cornish, also a board member, was not convinced. “I see no appreciable increase in cell coverage with the tower,” he said, citing coverage maps. He argued that the new antennas in the cupola of the Municipal Building had gone a long way to improve cell coverage in the Redwood section, and said that a temporary tower would benefit Verizon customers only.
“I’m voting against this,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a solution, it’s a habit. I don’t think it’s necessary.”
Bob Plumb agreed with Mr. Cornish. “It’s ridiculous that it only improves service for those who don’t want it.” He said Verizon had been “duplicitous.”
Ms. Hamilton pushed back on Mr. Gardella’s assertion that the tower was necessary in emergencies, pointing out that residents could enable Wi-Fi calling on their phones when in their houses. The only people served would be those on the move through the area, she said.
So it was 2-2, with Mayor Larocca representing the tie-breaking vote. He questioned Ms. Hamilton and weighed what Mr. Cornish said about the antennas in the cupola, which was switched on only last summer, after the original approval for the COW.
He noted with humor that the temporary tower was removed last year, either because of Hurricane Henri or for the U.S. Open golf tournament. Verizon had never made that clear, the mayor said. Regardless, if the tower were there to improve emergency communications, he questioned its removal just before a storm.
Mr. Larocca’s main beef, however, seemed to be with a lack of trust and communication between the village and Verizon. The most important argument for the tower, he agreed with Mr. Gardella, had to do with public safety.
He asked if a representative from Verizon was on the call to speak about the application and the cell coverage maps. None was. “That’s been the case for the last couple of meetings,” he said, disappointed. Without more information from the company, he said, it was hard to weigh the safety implications and sort out all the factual matters.
Then, “with great reluctance,” the mayor found himself disagreeing with his deputy mayor and with Mr. Haye, and voting against the tower. He said that didn’t mean Verizon couldn’t come back with a new application, “perhaps with better communication than we’ve been given.”
“It’s been difficult, as a public decisions-maker, when the applicant has been somewhat unresponsive,” he concluded.
