Back in the 1990s, The Croton-Harmon Board of Education considered a proposal from a cell phone company to rent space and erect a cell phone tower up on Mount Airy, where the district keeps the school buses on Route 129.
Community opposition caused them to say no to the request. The complaints have only escalated that the cell phone service here is as terrible as it's always been.
On a cell coverage review site, Croton-on-Hudson gets no bars (their version of stars) across all carriers. "Painful to struggle to use cell phone," writes one user. "Reception is horrible in the village of Croton," writes another, continuing, "I have a new phone, and after trouble shooting, Verizon said that Croton on Hudson is a 'weak coverage' area. New towers will be built but there is no estimate as to when."
In fact, a new proposal to get a 150-foot tower built by Homeland Towers LLC at the Croton River Gorge is under discussion, but many are again up in arms. According to the WatchCroton.com blog, the Croton Conservation Advisory Council voted unanimously to oppose the proposal. The Scenic Hudson organization sent a letter to the Board outlining their environmental and visual concerns for a tower at this site.
One citizen, Katrina Forbes, has started a petition on Charge.org, "say No to the 150 Ft. Cell tower to be built in the Croton Gorge," which currently has 279 supporters, many of them Croton residents.
The risks she cites include:
- The health and safety of kids (there's a nearby school),
- a predicted drop in property values,
- damaging changes to the ecosystem from woodlands to watershed,
- and health/safety concerns for all from proximity to hazardous materials, threat of fires, harmful debris, possible copper thieves, and even cancer from elevated radiation levels.
Cancer.org, in a section on cell phone radiation, states, "Some people have expressed concern that living, working, or going to school near a cell phone tower might increase the risk of cancer or other health problems. At this time, there is very little evidence to support this idea."
Findings from studies across the globe are summarized here by the National Institutes of Health.
Are you worried about the potential, though unmeasured risks of cell phone towers near you or would you rather have better service in Croton? Weigh in here.
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