Verizon plans to build a cell tower and wireless service facility in the neighboring Fairview Cemetery. 

The area of the proposed structure is on the Historic Overlay Section of the cemetery, R1-120, which borders our street. We continue to be strongly opposed to this cell tower being erected so close to our homes. After many members of our community attended the previous town hall, it only raised additional concerns over the construction and thought going into this tower.

This is a short-term corporate lease for infrastructure that will have a long-term impact on our community and property values. 

This cell tower is being proposed as a short-term solution with long-term ramifications and decreased property values falling on us, the taxpayers, and homeowners. The lease on the structure is only for 5 years and will service a small 2-mile radius. This also contradicts what was said in the town hall on 11/14, where Verizon’s lawyers stated there was a 2.5-year lease. Either way, this means after their initial lease term is completed, they can ditch this antenna and find a new location - leaving us with yet another abandoned structure in our city.  

Why are we letting utility companies put up these cell towers, without any assurance that they have sustainable longevity? And why, more importantly, a $150B company is leasing land, greatly limiting their ability to maintain and adequately update the cell towers they are constructing, Why isn’t a progressive city such as Beacon championing regulations and requirements on these cell tower leases? We were told this tower "must" go up because their lease on another tower is up and they cannot modify the existing tower. Why isn't local government protecting their citizens and insisting that these landlords and companies use what we already have in place instead of building additional, unnecessary infrastructure?

Helen Ct was not considered a part of the focused areas surveys or drone views. We find this to be particularly worrisome considering the proposed tower is merely 384ft from our neighborhood property line, and yet there are not any land surveys of our community anywhere in the documentation provided outside of the coverage that would be provided. Considering the placement of this tower, the intentional negligence and oversight of surveying our neighborhood prove that Verizon is aware of how detrimental this tower will be to the general aesthetics of our community and our property value.  

There are not any supporting documents outlining any/all noise frequencies. Considering how close this tower is being proposed to our home, this tower will impact our overall quality of life. 

Removal of trees in this area will further displace animals such as deer, bears, and foxes. This further puts our community at risk, with many of these animals already populating our common area as well as our yards due to displacement from the commercial infrastructure on nearby Route 52. Removing and disrupting this habitat will only put our community’s pets and children at additional risk.    

While the research shows that these towers are relatively safe at the appropriate distance, there is no denying that there is a stigma when people try to rent or sell a home and there is a cell tower directly behind them. We urge the City of Beacon to consider championing our community, our safety, and the natural beauty of our community and New York State over short-sited, temporary infrastructure.

Please sign this petition if you stand with us against this proposed construction project that threatens both our homes' value and Beacon's historic charm.