Town Blocks State Radio Tower

The Cheektowaga (NY) town board voted to issue a stop-work order against construction of a 250-foot radio tower within their jurisdiction, one of 36 sites in five counties supporting the first phase of a $2 billion statewide public safety radio network. The board complained that the state did not obtain a local permit, completed only an overall, state-wide environmental impact report, and that the town does have jurisdiction over the site, since work is being done by a private contractor, M/A-COMM. Council member Thomas Johnson Jr. said, “It’s the extreme arrogance that we deal with all the time with respect to public authorities, state commissions and state agencies.”