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PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The voices of the citizens and local governments were heard in Albany as the state Department of Transportation (DOT) cancelled the proposed traffic monitoring tower project on the Saw Mill River Parkway Tuesday evening, according to Assemblyman Bob Castelli (R-Bedford).
“At this point in time, NYSDOT has decided not to install communications towers along the Saw Mill River Parkway,” state transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald said in a press release Tuesday evening.
Pleasantville Mayor Peter Scherer declared the cancelled project a win for the village.
“I’m very happy to hear this news,” said Scherer Tuesday night in a phone interview. “I’m very appreciative to all of the help that we received from the community in stopping this project and very appreciative of DOT for listening to our concerns.”
The project was halted Tuesday, effective immediately, after concerns were raised by Scherer along with Mount Pleasant Town Supervisor Joan Maybury and New Castle Supervisor Susan Carpenter, as well as many local lawmakers and community members.
The proposed project included a series of closed-circuit television system towers, which would stand around 125 feet high and feature a camera on top to monitor traffic flow and accidents. The DOT planned to install seven of the towers on the Saw Mill River Parkway – beginning from where the parkway crosses the Taconic State Parkway near Hawthorne, and ending in Chappaqua. The department said traffic monitoring cameras could sense heavy congestion, show when an alternate route should be recommended and detect accidents quickly to dispatch emergency response.
Many Pleasantville residents adamantly protested the project and formed the citizens' group “Stop DOT Towers”. The group collected approximately 1,000 signatures on a petition against the project and made several phone calls to DOT expressing their displeasure. Deana Nelkin, a Pleasantville resident and founding member of the citizens group, was ecstatic to hear that the project was cancelled.
“The mayor called me to give me the news and I was literally jumping with joy,” Nelkin said. “I’m just thrilled with everybody that was involved in stopping this project.”
District-3 County Legislator Michael Smith said Tuesday night that the decision not to install the towers shows the power of the citizens’ voices.
“I think it’s a perfect example of citizens coming together and creating a group solution to resolve an issue,” said Smith, who attended a meeting Sunday afternoon in Pleasantville held by the citizens' group. “And their resolutions were perfectly reasonable.”
Scherer was not surprised that Pleasantville residents were able to come together to fight against something they thought was wrong.
“This is a community that comes together for many different reasons to help each other out, more than any other community that I’ve been a part of,” Scherer said.
Comments (11)
I don't know about the rest of you, but my GPS automatically re-routes me around significant traffic delays. I don't need a massive 120 foot tower in my front yard to tell me that. Not to mention I commute on the Sawmill from Pleasantville daily and never have any traffic issues. So stop supporting projects that waste taxpayer money. That is why this state has such a budget crisis.
The real story...
"The mayor called me to give me the news and I was literally jumping with joy when I heard that commuters in northern Westchester will spend much more time sitting in congestion that could have been avoided so our narrow minded busy body group can have great views of dying trees as we head to luncheon." Deana Nelkin, a Pleasantville resident and founding member of the citizens group of busy bodies, was ecstatic to hear that the project was cancelled. “I’m just thrilled with everybody that was involved in stopping progress and human advancement.”
“I think it’s a perfect example of citizens coming together to degrade the quality of life of other Westchester residents for petty gain and creating a group solution to resolve an issue that doesn't exist,” said Smith, who attended a meeting Sunday afternoon in Pleasantville held by the citizens' group of busy bodies. “And their resolutions were perfectly reasonable for us, screw everyone else who travels on these roads.”
Dear Glikbach,
Since you are bashing me, I might as well reply. If you had read any of the other articles showing what we were doing, you would have realized that we were opposing the towers, not the technology. I was fine with them running fiber-optic cables and ending the project a half mile shy of where they wanted for the same $$$$. The fact that they killed the project instead makes me just wonder - what are they going to do with the millions of dollars that was collected for this. Hopefully, its not just going into politician's pockets. I would hope they take it and use it to fix the road so that we don't have future traffic jams. Unfortunately, I don't get to decide that, but at least I am asking some logical questions.
I hope you have a radio in your car so you can hear up to the minute information about traffic elsewhere, as we rarely have any in the Pleasantville area.
Deana
Glikbach: Either you work for the DOT or the you are the contractor for this boondoggle. You couldn't possible be more erroneous in your assessment of the "real story". Think before you write, because your incoherence is showing.
Dear Glikbach
There were 5 reasons we fought to stop the 7 120 foot tall towers that were to be placed along the Saw Mill Parkway from Hawthorn to Chappaqua.
1. Aesthetics
2. Privacy
3. Property Values
4. Safety
5. Health concerns
But the really big one that we all know, but can't win on is that this concept is 20 years old and is outdated in a world of smart phones, in car GPS and OnStar systems and a complete waste of money.
What we need in Pleasantville is an end to flooding caused by the sinking roadway of the Saw Mill Parkway.
As for the Affordable Housing that they want to put in my friends back yard, with almost no street access, built on or above the Saw Mill River, 50 feet from the Metro North rails yea that's on our list.
Mark Markarian
10 Hillside Avenue
Pleasantville, NY
Hilarious. Now I understand completely.
I agree with jpapscun. Why did the project get quashed?
Dors: The project was quashed because the DOT saw the light: Their 1990s project did not foresee or contemplate 2012 technology. There is absolutely no need for one 125 foot microwave tower along the Saw Mill, let alone seven. If any project in the future needs to be done, DOT will use 100% fiber optics with standard 40ft poles. This is why it was quashed. If DOT had moved forward with their plan, the 125ft monster towers would have been deemed obsolete as they were installing them.
Dors: The project was quashed because the DOT saw the light: Their 1990s project did not foresee or contemplate 2012 technology. There is absolutely no need for one 125 foot microwave tower along the Saw Mill, let alone seven. If any project in the future needs to be done, DOT will use 100% fiber optics with standard 40ft poles. This is why it was quashed. If DOT had moved forward with their plan, the 125ft monster towers would have been deemed obsolete as they were installing them.
I had to read this article twice because I couldn't figure out why the towers were stopped. Kind of a vital piece of information. I can only imagine some far-fetched privacy concerns.
Awesome news. Now, the next citizens committee job is to have Pleasantville stop the affordable housing project.