On April 14th, 2022 during the monthly meeting of the NYS Adirondack Park Agency, project P2021-0207 was passed through committee and by the Board of directors. We thank the APA for their thorough analysis of this project and bringing it to approval. The Regulatory Programs Committee and staff put in many hours of work both in the field and office assuring regulatory compliance and engineering success. This was a unique partnership of TARPON TOWERS II, LLC, T-MOBILE NORTHEAST, LLC, NEW CINGULAR WIRELESS PCS, LLC (AT&T), HERKIMER COUNTY, HAMILTON COUNTY, and The TOWN OF INLET. The materials submitted and used for the presentation to the board can be found on the APA’s website apa.ny.gov

Your comments and support were crucial in getting us to this point. We have hit our funding goals up to this point, and over 200 letters of support for the tower were received by the APA.

We are excited to move to the next phase of our project and will keep you updated as we can. The Inlet Emergency Communications Tower Committee thanks you all for your support.

Dennis Hudson & Joel Millikan
Co-Chairs Inlet Emergency Communications Tower Committee

It’s public comment time for APA Project 2021-0207 – Town of Inlet Shared Use Public Safety and Wireless Communication Tower!  Please recognize the importance of this step in our process.  The public comment period expires April 7, 2022, allowing for the application to be considered at the APA’s April 14-15 regular meeting.

Remember what approval of our project would mean: the solution to communication problems in the Inlet, Raquette Lake, Big Moose, and Eagle Bay areas for our emergency responders! The responders would have quicker response times for those in need and enhanced safety for our volunteers.

Your input of personal experiences that resulted from our lack of good communication would be a positive way to support our project. Can you help us with this?  You only have until April 7.  Just use the link to contribute electronically.  The link has a snail mail option as well.

https://apa.ny.gov/Hearings/ApaCommentPopup.cfm?ProjectNumber=2021-0207

The Adirondack Emergency Communications Tower Committee would like to again thank all of our financial contributors and give you an update on the progress of the planning, build out and service of a emergency services communication tower for the first responders of Inlet, Eagle Bay, Big Moose, and Raquette Lake.

First, we want to let you know that the funds that have been donated are waiting for the build out phase and are currently in CAP-21’s designated bank account, safe and sound.

In March of 2019 the Town of Inlet, working with Adirondack Park Agency (APA) staff and Chazen Engineering, conducted a set of balloon tests at several locations including the preferred Funk property on Heroux Hill to calculate the visual impact of the proposed emergency communications tower. Since then the Town of Inlet has also started a conversation with David Corasanti & Tarpon Towers about possible tower locations on Fern Mountain. They will continue to work with both locations, hoping to have two towers that provide will provide links for both Hamilton County and Herkimer County 911. This will help improve communications and also provide a greater chance of multiple cell provider co-locations and partners.

Since the balloon tests 15 months ago, the Town of Inlet and the Tower Committee have continued working with Chazen, C&S Engineering & Tarpon Towers to get all pre-application and height requirement data collections ready for APA approval. There is a huge amount of pre-application work that needs to be completed before anyone can move forward with a scope and sequence of building an emergency communication tower.

The Town of Inlet, with full support of the Adirondack Emergency Communication Tower Committee, will continue to move the project forward and wishes to thank the community for all their efforts to help us protect first responders, visitors and our families through their on going support of this very important project. We could not have gotten this far without every one of you.
Thank You all very much,
Adirondack Emergency Communications Services Committee

The Adirondack Emergency Communications Tower Committee is pleased to announce that the $350,000 goal to fund an emergency communications tower to support the first responders of Inlet, Eagle Bay, Big Moose, and Raquette Lake has been reached! Our community was blessed with the announcement that the owners, Martin & Debbie Parent of ACE hardware stores in Inlet and Old Forge, had pledged to match contributions up to $25,000. And this helped push us to the finish line!

In small communities like ours, it is refreshing to see that in the span of just over a year, a special ground swell donations campaign can be accomplished. During this Thanksgiving celebration when families come together to offer thanks, we, the Tower Committee, wish to thank everyone for their hope, support and vision in making our community one of the best places to live, work and play. We are overwhelmed at the generosity of our community and blessed that you all took time to help protect our first responders.

It is the larger vision that routinely moves every endeavor forward in the West Central Adirondacks. We are thankful every day that our neighbors would serve and volunteer to come to our homes, or respond to our beautiful lakes and woods to help our visitors in a time of crisis and need. The people you meet everyday passing on the street or in the post office are the real hero’s that make our lives more enriched as everyone has their part to play. We are solid neighbors and no obstacle is too mighty for us to solve when we put our whole effort into it. This tower funding project will serve as a place marker among achievements these communities have already achieved and can achieve in the future.

Where do we go from here? APA Staff, C&S Engineering and Chazen Engineering have balloon tested and surveyed the Heroux Hill/Funk Property. The project is in the pre-approval stage at the APA and our next step as a committee is to receive our permit documentation back from the APA, C&S and Chazen Engineering so that we can move forward with the scope and sequence of building the emergency communications tower. The Tower Committee will continue to move the project forward and wishes to thank the community for all their efforts to help us protect first responders, visitors and our families through their on-going support of this very important project. Thank You, and Happy Holidays!

Our partners and donors of this fantastic community project: CAP-21, Inlet – Adirondack Gives, Peter Funk, Joel & Bonnie Millikan, Old Forge Department stores ACE, The Town Of Inlet, ADiKted sports wear, The Jolly Moosers, Inlet Barnstormers, Raquette Lake Fire Commissioners, Raquette Lake Fire Department, Inlet Volunteer Emergency Services, Big Moose Fire Department, Billy’s Restaurant/Billy Burns, Charlie Wantman, Peter Kalil, Ariel Hayes, Emily Nunn, Mike Pellizzari, Betsy Hershman, Dee Ganz, Cathy Nooni, Ann Wegman, Dean Gordon, Phil Hazen, Nick Pastorelli, Theodore & Judith Reed, Charles & Carol Smith, Terry Snyder, Suzanne Dawson, Brian Dunlavey, Eileen Michael, Christopher & Debra Grauert, Kathleen Lamb, Ullman Consulting, Inc., William & Karin Green, Mary Ellen Bernhardt, Thomas & Suzanne Galetto, Kathleen Tehan, Mike Wilson, David & Candace Schneckenburger, Nancy Dougherty, Dominick Celia, David Jackson, Tim Giberson, Bob Hager, Lingafelter Family, Frank & Carolyn Belknap, Jerry Clare, Jylanda Diles, John & Valerie Donohue, L. Theodore & Cheryl Foss, William F. Locke, Sara Carter, Terrence & Laura McSweeney, James & Eloise Knapp, Gary & SharonLou Myers, Michelle Doucette, Ken Hinckley, Blue Mt. Storage, William & Mary Pat Lewis, Jr., Harold & Christine Erbacher, Lawrence & Barbara Thomas, Craig & Mary Smith, Michael & Monica Buttimer, Gary & Sue Schafran, Kenneth & Lydia Macci, Richard & Joan Compson, Charles & Hilary Porter, Irad & Janet Ingraham, Betsy Bicknell & Roland Cyr, Christine Hall-Finney, Daniel & Wendy Ullman, David & Martha Dill, Donald Namm, Garry Savage, Geoff & Francie Longstaff, James & Jacqueline Savage, Jere & Sharon Snell, John & Stephanie Mitchell, William & Elena Keller, Kerry & Anne Katlic, Richard Kissinger, Perry & Lois Eli, Richard & Martha Mateer, Robert & Carol Keller, Jr., Sally Nolan, Carol Owens, Gem Agency, Inc., Harry & Marcia Hurd, Michelle Kubick, Ronald Kilbourn, Stanley & Deborah Hutchings, Stephen & Julia Schott, Fredi Cerussi-Muntz, Jean Collier, Miles & Laura Lumbard, Mark & Carmel Garlock, William Burrows, Dr. Eugene & Christine Lozner, Lynne Newhouse, James Sweetman, Dave & Jan Preston, Tom Cupal, Doreen Deisenroth, Daniel Chall, Joan Parkes, Lisa Adams, Kathleen Klaiber, Patricia Marini, Kenneth Korby, James Heffernan, Kathleen Winter, Joan Cirillo, James Huss, Russell Lewis, Martha Shanahan, Ellen Best, Andrea Godin, Becky McGill, Richard Hardesty, Russell Ruhl, Daniel Jackson, Bonnie Amidon, Douglas Kerr, Linda Blevins, Lawrence Roll, Lynn Fornuff, Mike Sands, John Gallino, Steve & Sue Vekasy, John Hanlon, Diana Huss, Karen Schunck, Christopher Heffernan, Joy Carter, Timothy Purce, Anna-Lisa Hafgren, Courtney Schreppel, Dorothy Kohlbach, Peter Sokolosky, Anne Fletcher, Carol Hager, Nicholas Eichar, Andrew Eichar, Stanzi Bliss, Robert Smythe, Ellen Gates, Lawrence Kenney, James & Linda Rosenbloom, Pat & Merrill Shanks, Michael Healy, Anthony Hart, Nick & Caroline Brust, Eric Green, Matt Vekasy, Christina McKittrick, Cynthia Socci, Bruce Thompson, Trish Tieger, John & Marybeth Auletto, Robert Anderson, John & Mary Jane O’Donnell, Chase Boni, Wendy Foreman, Taylor Family, Jody Collins Skinner, Robert Brewster, Lauren Murdock, William Judson, Jr., Eugene Renske, Douglas Brown, Dorene Dibble, Jim & Linda Leach, Mary Ann Simmons, Mark Meyers, Charles & Ellen Brady, Rose Van Keuren, Carol Craft, Chris Biehn, Lynn McCormick, Philip Vander Molen, Jean Polly, Robert Eberle, Terry Adkins, William & Pamela McGarry, Meg Wheadon, Twitchell Lake Fish & Game Association, Gail Lennon, Patricia Lennon, Franklin Square Foundation/Mary Navia, David Crawford, Nancy Reed, Wayne Pickering, Frederick Gouldin, Robert & Mary Hurlbutt, Charles Kreitler, Nancy Knoff, Michael & Suzanne Schnittman, Bill & Janet Bonenberger, Henry Kurkowski, Lynn Fornuff, Janet Weaver, Shayne T Pendrick, Lorraine Walther, Catherine Zuver, Capt. Shayne T. Pendrick, Kathryn Orbanek, Debbie Haskins, Frank & Gail Richeson, Lisa Adams, Lowell Seifter, Stefanie Obkirchner, Monty & Jill Bauer, Gary & Eileen Wires, Douglas Brown, Amy Viellieu, Mindy Sauter, Susan Menand, Fred & Christine Daniels, Robert Eggleston, Keith & Claudia Stinton, Senator Donovan Memorial Fund, Marc & Judy Isaacs, Ronald Kilbourn, Elouise DeFilippo, Tom Kwasigroch, Stuart Card, Michael Quinn, Kevin Kerls, Anne Prior, Ted & Nancy Palmer, Ronald Wyjad, Susan & Tim Christy, Douglas & Suzanne Babcock, T. Beyler, Gordon Hyde, John Bisgrove, Christine & Howie DeLooze, Phylise Banner, Pam & Glenn Rosenthal, Christine Hunter, Joe & Barbara Martin, Stuart Gluckman/Pamela Lamboy, Thomas & Ann Ward, Forrest & Linda Roberts, Suzanne Beeching, David & Patricia Hinkle, Cheryl Holmes, Sarah Dew, Robert Derrenbacker, Donald & Sarah Dew, Bill & Linda Keener, Dunn’s Boat Service, Covewood Lodge (Herdabo), William & Maureen Tomeny, C.R. & O.D. Adams, Carmen Mastroianni, Edward & Judith Scheid, Big Moose Ambulance Co., Big Moose Fire Co., Richard & Meredith McCaughey, Nancy Winter Traynor, Middlesex Hose Company, Big Moose Community Chapel, Kevin & Denise Hanlon, John & Sara Burrows, Roger & Nancy Pratt, Big Moose Property Owners Assoc., Robert & Jane Wilson, Jr., Joanne Carey, Michael & Jane Johngren, Christopher & Patricia Sturges, Thomas & Judith Thibado, Robert & Maureen Van Slyke, Kitty Leonard, Kate Bartlet, BJ Queen Enterprises, Richard & Mary Jane Lasher, Albert & Mary Lou Reich, Wilmer P. Oconnell, David & Mary Fitzgerald, Rosalyn Toper, Clarence & Marianne McDonough III, Harold & Pamela Williams, Tom & Donna Hartz, Bob & Sandy Hunkins, Frances M. Knorr, Eagle Bay Storage, LLC, William & Mary Mugridge, John & Carol Charzuk, Marc Messing/Lori Sonken, Eagle Bay Fire Dept. Auxiliary, Phil & Phyllis Sanzone, Eleanor Andrews, Patricia Zuver, Stephen & Katherine Chambers, David & Anne Elias, Limekiln Lake Association, Dennis & Barbara McDermott, Bernard & Brenda Thibado, Richard & Lorraine Fellows, George & Martha Blakeslee, James & Alice Bradfield, Kathleen & Daniel Gilheney, William & Mary Reifsteck, Rocky Point Properties, Inc., Mary Anne Ryan, David & Susan Stoller, Ernest & Barbara Wermuth, Nancy Hadley, Harry & Grace Rissetto, Stanton & Debra Ernst, Jr., Sherrill Ernst, Robert & Sheila Emmert, Michael & Mary Ellen Guerra, Gary & Karen Lee, Penny Stuart, Walter & Annette Higley, Donald & Kathleen Schwanke, William & Ann Guiffre, David Gribneau Enterprises, Henry & Sandra Fiebiger, Allan & Elizabeth Millikan, William & Amy Millikan, Cardinal Capital Management, Chris & Liza Green, Church of the Lakes, Dorothy Lott, Fourth Lake Property Owners Association, Gregory & Antoinette Rudd, James & Mary Murphy, Janet Mikovich, Natalie K. Streb, Chambers Commons (Paul & Reggie), Rick & Elaine Alesia (Neodak Shores), David & Patricia Gloo, Timothy Brownsell, Limekiln Lakes (Tom & Lynn Rourke), Waddie & Judith Kalil, Bruce & Margaret Ohara, Barbara Villers Norkus, Errol Sheldon, Joseph D’Agostino Jr., Tim & Cheryl Morse, VanGorder Camp, LLC, Richard & Barbara Smithson, Leo & Linda Fadel, Robert & Pamela Eggleston, Phyllis Mulherin, Nancy N. Femrite, Carol Parzianello (Phoenix), Chris Holt (Seventh Lake House), Kathryn D. Green, Daniel & Jacqueline Alvarez, Patrick Robinson, Sharon Gendron, Ronald Dearlove, Adele & Dennis Hudson, Charles & Marsha Herr, Bob Millikan, John & Sarah Frey, Ken Biehn, Bill Faro, Charles & Nancy Frey, Douglas Johnson, Robert & Diane Baker, Ken & Barbara Campbell, Richard & Susan Scharf, David Buonanno, Philip Evans/Cliffview, Read & Jane Moffett, Janet & Jim Sharp, Richard Sidney, Robert Padden, Kim Egenhofer, Jerome Bartholomew, Robert & Janice Egenhofer, Connie Perry (Frisky Otter), Mr. & Mrs. Baxter Reginald & Jameson Baxter’s foundation, Inlet Community Church, Huber Family Wellness, Kathleen E. Damon, Albert & Debra Gross, Inlet Volunteer Emergency Services, Blackfly Challenge, ALH Properties LLC, Sixth & Seventh Lake Improvement Assoc., Anne & Ted Christodaro, Karl & Ellen Hildenbrand, Finder’s Keepers/Frances & Bill Parent, Gene Burney, Judy Lonergan, Nick & Cindy Rose, Meaghan Foley, Albert & Anne Hartsig III, Michael & Cindy Nelson, Richard & Mary Kuiters, Herron Realty, Shirley Lindsay, Deb Carhart & Ross Devendorf, Madelyn Spoll, Eva Crawford, Juli Towell, Robin & William Hill, Ed & Carolyn Mitchell, Community Bank, Joshua Abrams, Adirondack Bank, C2C Construction, Fredrycca Cerussi-Muntz, Judy Robbins-Rosenberger, Thomas J. Greco/The Doors of Old Forge, Burke’s Marina Inc., Paul Mirate, John & Janice Murphy, Raquette Lake Preservation Foundation, Lynne Ballou/Richard Gentry, John W. Sammon and many Anonymous donors. We Thank All of You!

Thanks to your strong support, the goal of raising $350,000 to build an emergency services communication tower to serve Big Moose, Eagle Bay, Inlet and Raquette Lake in the Adirondacks is within sight. To date, we have received gifts and pledges for $300,000 and have received a $25,000 matching challenge gift from Martin & Debbie Parent, owners of the Inlet and Old Forge ACE Hardware stores to help us raise the final $50,000. Thus we need to raise an additional $25,000 to reach our goal. Please help us reach that goal. Please visit our donation page to choose the donation method that is best for you. https://adirondacktower.org/donate/

Once funded, what is the next step? Submitting an application and gaining approval by the Adirondack Park Agency to construct the tower. The Town of Inlet will be the owner of the tower and has secured a desirable site, engaged communication engineers and has obtained legal council to help shape the permit application. Currently, the APA Board is without a chair and is missing several members, so the approval process may be protracted. The need for the communication tower is clear for public safety reasons and to empower first responders, so we are optimistic that approval will be granted.

We will keep you updated as we make progress. Once again, many thanks for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Joel Millikan and Dennis Hudson, Co-chairs
Adirondack Emergency Communications Tower

May 6, 2019

Inlet’s Adirondack Emergency Communications Tower Committee Update

The Adirondack Emergency Communications Tower Committee, which is working on building a tower in Inlet to provide increased coverage for the communities of Inlet, Eagle Bay, Big Moose and Raquette Lake, is making progress with both funding and permit applications.  To date, the committee is about $80,000 short of its $350,000 to fund the project. The committee would like to thank the generosity of the greater west central Adirondack donors who have helped us get within sight of our goal.

CAP-21’s efforts, along with the online Adirondack Gives platform, have been a tremendous help in our fund drive and continue to be of great service as we move forward.  We hope that residents and visitors alike will go to www.AdirondackTower.org and make the final contributions to fund this important project.

On March 8th a set of balloon tests were conducted to calculate the visual impact of the proposed emergency tower.  With good weather conditions for visibility and help from the Inlet Parks Department, Inlet Highway Department and Inlet Police Department, the Town of Inlet was able to schedule and conduct testing with APA staff and Chazen Engineering at several locations including the preferred Heroux Hill, Funk Property.

Town of Inlet Supervisor John Frey and Hamilton County Supervisor Bill Farber have met with the APA recently to pitch the need for an emergency services tower in Inlet as well as the need for adequate tower height.

“I understand that the APA is doing its job,” said Town of Inlet Supervisor John Frey, addressing the height restrictions applied to such towers, by the Adirondack Park Agency.  “But if you can’t see it, it won’t work.”

Several cellular companies have also shown interest in various locations in the Town of Inlet, with letters of intent from T-Mobile and AT&T for the Heroux Hill, Funk Property.

The Inlet Town Board and County Board of Supervisors will continue their appeal for a bit more additional height so that one good emergency services tower will be built and work for the coverage needed to provide good service to the communities of Inlet, Eagle Bay, Big Moose and Raquette Lake.

Our next step as a committee is to get our report back from the APA and Chazen Engineering so that we can move forward with a scope and sequence of building the emergency services tower.  The committee will continue to move the project forward and wishes to thank the community for all their efforts to help us protect first responders, visitors and our families through their on going support of this very important project.

Thank You,

Adirondack Emergency Communications Tower Committee

We the Adirorondacktower.org committee thank all our contributors past, present and future for recognizing our progress. We have worked very hard on applying for grants for this project along with our public and private fundraising. This includes the Northern Border Regional Commission grant that has been recently announced to the public. We do not have the final award details for this grant, which was geared towards the public cellular/internet phase of the tower project. But we see this as a great partnership moving forward.

We will continue to work on funding the Adirondack Emergency Communications Tower Project. The project goal is to assure reliable communications for our first responders. If there is to be any over funding, the committee will be supporting the Fire and EMS departments of Raquette Lake, Big Moose, Eagle Bay and Inlet.

The Adirondack Emergency Tower Committee has started a grassroots fund to build an emergency communications tower to help first responders in the Big Moose, Eagle Bay, Inlet and Raquette Lake area.  In less than a year, they are about to reach the halfway mark of their project goal. With donations through the CAP-21 Tower Account and AdirondackGives.org, the committee has raised just over $160,000 for a project that is expected to cost $350,000.

In the words of co-chair Joel Millikan, “Our project is gaining momentum. We have received endorsements from various lake associations.  We are planning to mail brochures to property owners in all four communities.  We are getting close, but we need additional donations to reach our goal, so the committee will keep talking the project up every chance they get.”

The tower, which they hope to erect on Heroux Hill, will give first responders in the surrounding communities greatly improved service while communicating with 911 and each other during fires, accidents and medical emergencies.

Co-chair Dennis Hudson also noted, “We try to have one or more meaningful tower conversation each day, encouraging people to watch the video, giving them several brochures and asking them to talk it up with friends, family and neighbors.  Our hope is that we can reach our $350,000 goal this year so that the committee can switch to devoting our efforts on getting APA approval and having the tower built by the fall of 2019.”

The committee knows that the second half of a campaign like this is the most difficult, but after only two months of handshake efforts to find contributions, they are excited that the residents, summer homeowners and visitors are all embracing this project.

A giant tower/thermometer, painted by Jen Lamphear and Bill Faro, is now tracking the second half of the funding campaign and can be seen at Arrowhead Park. Information about the tower’s needs and coverage areas can be found at Adirondacktower.org.  We would like to thank our halfway point contributors: Town of Inlet, Inlet Volunteer Emergency Services Inc., Joel & Bonnie Millikan, Cardinal Cap. Management, Waddie & Judith Kalil, William & Elena Keller, James & Jacqueline Savage, Rich Kissinger, Garry Savage, Donald Namm, Shirley Lindsay, Janet A. Mikovich, Katherine C. Bartlet, Paul M. Mirale, Allen & Elizabeth Millikan, Church of the Lakes, Timothy P. Brownsell, Richard & Mary Jane Lasher, Natalie K. Streb, Daniel & Wendy Ullman, Betsy Bicknell & Roland Cyr, Carman Matroianni, BJ Queen Enterprises, John F. & Stephanie Mitchell, George & Francis Longstaff, Christine M. Hall-Finney, Perry & Lois Eli, Jere & Sharon Snell, Gregg & Toni Rudd, Neodack Shores, LLC, Limekiln Lake Association, Martha & David Dill, Paul & Regina Chambers of Adirondack Reader and French Louie ADK Sport, Richard & Martha Mateer, James & Mary Murphy, Kerry & Anne Katlic, William & Sally Nolan, Robert & Carol Keller, Lawrence Roll, Robin Hill, Danial Chall, Dennis Hudson & Adele Burnett, Joan Parks, Lisa Adams, Kathleen Klaiber, Patricia Marini, Kenneth Korby, Douglas Brown, Charles & Marsha Herr, Kathleen Winter, Joan Cirillo, James Huss, Russell Lewis, Martha Shanahan, Ellen Best, Andrea Godin, Becky McGill, Richard Hardesty, Russell Ruhl, Daniel Jackson, Mitch & Bonnie Amidon, Douglas Kerr, Linda Blevins, Mike Sands, Bob Millikan, John & Sarah Frey, Peter Funk, Christine Holt, Ken Biehn, John Gallino, Steve Vekasy, John Hanlon, Diana Huss, Karen Schunck, Christopher Heffernan, Timothy Purce, William Faro, Burkhard-Evans Inc., Anna-Lisa Hafgren, Courtney Holt Schreppel, Dorathy Kolhbach, David Kuhaneck, Peter & Fay Sokolosky, Anne Fletcher, Stanzi Bliss. Charles & Nancy Frey, Burke’s Marina, Karin & William Green, Robert Smythe, Ellen Gates.