Town board approves more time for cell tower, request for more parking

Town board member Bobbi Bittker displays a prototype of banners that will honor town residents who are veterans or currently serving in the armed forces. TOWN OF BEDFORD photo

By JEFF MORRIS

The Bedford Town Board approved several timely items in a quick meeting on Tuesday.

Cell tower time extension

The board approved an amendment to a lease agreement signed in 2022 with Homeland Towers for a cell tower to be constructed on town property at Haines Road, Bedford Hills.

The site, at the former wastewater treatment plant adjacent to Bedford Hills Memorial Park, was agreed to following a long series of planning board meetings from 2019 through 2022. 

Homeland Towers had agreed to an option and lease agreement in April 2022. Supervisor Ellen Calves said Homeland was not yet ready to install the facility and wanted an extension of the lease. Town Attorney Eric Gordon explained that under this amendment, if the facility is not installed by April 2028 the town has the right to terminate the lease. He said while Homeland had been looking for other option periods, they felt the best way to do it would be to pay $1,000 rent a year while the property is not being used. “From the town’s perspective, it’s better to have this site available for the wireless facility,” said Gordon. “There’s nothing else that site is going to be used for at this point.” 

He said the wastewater treatment plant still has to be taken down. “This amendment basically gives them another three years to get providers on board and then construct the facility,” he said, “and obviously, if they start construction sooner, then the full rental rate would go into effect.”

Asked why providers were not showing interest, Gordon said his understanding was that some of the providers have been reluctant to go onto that site right now because they are focused on other sites in town, but that Homeland was trying to get them to focus on this site.

Time to park in Bedford Village

A request was made by the Bedford Village Business Association to change the allowable parking time in specified areas from one hour to two hours, as a three month pilot.

“This is because people are hanging out in Bedford Village for a longer period of time,” explained Calves. She said BVBA had spoken with multiple business owners who were on board with the proposal. “If in the end businesses are more upset that parking isn’t turning over more quickly, we will end up not continuing with this.” Calves and Public Works Commissioner Kevin Winn said there would be about 12 to 15 spaces changing from one-hour parking to two, and that the town’s only expense would be installing new signs.

Calves said she thought it was in response to residents complaining because they were getting tickets if they chose to linger or to visit multiple businesses, and the business owners felt bad because they wanted residents to stay. She said the town had done a lot of parking enforcement in an attempt to keep traffic moving. “It’s good because cars are turning over; it’s bad because people are getting tickets,” she said.

Winn said they should be able to start the pilot by the end of next week, and temporarily modify the signs. The resolution was approved.

Veterans will be honored with banners

The board approved an easement agreement with NYSEG that will allow the town to install banners on utility poles honoring residents who are veterans or currently serving in the military.

The banners will be installed in September and be on display through November. They will be put up along the walking path across the street from police headquarters and the Town House on Bedford Road from Cherry Street to Nottingham Road, a location that will provide opportunities for both vehicle traffic and foot traffic to see the banners.

Town board member Bobbi Bittker said Veterans Committee Chair Clark Petschek had been collecting names of current residents who wish to be included, and that anyone who is interested should reach out to him at veterans@bedfordny.gov. She said there were about 49 locations identified.

Bittker displayed a prototype banner that had been produced, with a design she said had a lot of input from Chief of Staff Lisa Burke. The banners will be of high quality material and double sided. She said each person has the opportunity to show which division and what conflict they served in, and their years of service. Bittker also noted that, unlike some other towns, the banners will not include photos; she said Petschek had spoken with people about that option, and had gotten a lot of pushback from veterans saying they absolutely did not wish to participate if a photo was included.