Survey: Franklin Park residents say NO TOWER AT CLOVER HILL!
Borough Council asked CityScape to survey the public about cell coverage, various kinds of towers, and various possible locations. Over 600 residents responded. Results came out at the work session on July 2nd. Franklin Park residents indicated that they were open to building a cell tower on Borough property -- but NOT the golf course. Asked about a tower at the Borough Building, golf course, or elsewhere, a HUGE majority chose the Borough Building for the site. The #1 choice was the Borough Building, with some attempt made to camouflage the tower. The #2 choice was -- the Borough Building and forget the camouflage! The golf course was a DISTANT third.
CityScape's representative appeared and sounded uncomfortable and apologetic in stating this - she's surely aware of what the firehall gang wanted her to say. But Franklin Park has spoken!
Borough Council, are you listening?
If you're listening, SHOW US by including this fact -- that survey respondents MASSIVELY favored the Borough Building over the golf course -- in the summary you're planning to post on the Franklin Park website. To hear the discussion that day, it sounded like you were planning to summarize the results as "the public wants more coverage and they're open to building towers on Borough property" - thus implying the golf course, even though a HUGE majority of respondents didn't want it there.
Show us that you heard what the residents said. Show us by including this CRITICAL fact in your summary. (And no silly games, please, about "That's just the summary CityScape gave us." You had a detailed discussion with CityScape's rep on the Zoom call about what to include.)
Franklin Park residents continue to deserve better. We deserve to know what's going on. We deserve to know Borough Council's plans, and their reasons for their plans, with respect to a contentious issue where they have a sad track record of trying to keep their plans away from public scrutiny. We deserve better than their tired old excuses about why they technically, you see don't have to share this or that. The default should be automatic, complete, and prompt transparency!
Check the agenda HERE within 24 hours before the meeting - you'll often find last-minute changes involving controversial topics. On some computers you may need to create a username and password to read agendas and minutes -- but at least they are free to create and use. (Contact us if you need help.)
Borough Council has been known in the past to push discussion of the cell tower to the very beginning or the very end (the current record is 9:44 PM) of the meeting. They have also listed late times for cell-tower discussions, then moved quickly and addressed the cell-tower business well ahead of schedule.. So: Try to get there on time, and stick around until they're done!
The "pre-meeting" is open to the public (see below) and borough council has often used such meetings to do their actual discussion about the cell tower plans.
Committee meetings, "pre-meetings," "post-meetings," and work sessions happen in the back room behind the main meeting room at the borough building. They are open to the public (except during executive sessions, most often at the very end), even though this is not obvious. There was a brief discussion about a year ago of putting up a sign stating "Open to the Public," but this has not happened as of January 2025: apparently writing those four words on a sheet of paper and taping it to the back room's door is not something Borough Council wants to do.
That says a lot about Borough Council and its theoretical "transparency," doesn't it?
.
The public often doesn't get to comment at the back-room meetings, but simply knowing what the old boys' club is discussing can be very helpful.
The door in the back right of the main meeting room is the easiest way to reach the area where the public can sit for committee meetings, work sessions, "pre-meetings," and "post-meetings."
The address is:
2344 W Ingomar Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
00
DaysDays
00
HrsHours
00
MinsMinutes
00
SecsSeconds
Stay tuned for June meeting details!
Borough council normally meets on the first and third Wednesdays of each month.
The first meeting is a "work session" where the public doesn't usually get to talk, but where they often discuss the cell tower. The second meeting usually glosses over the cell tower, but lets us talk.
So: listen at the first meeting, and tell the public what you heard at the second.
We defeated it in 2017. We defeated it in 2020. And together, we can do it again this year!
Help Protect Our Franklin Park Homes!
Save Our Homes!
Borough Council Updates
Save Our Homes!
We didn't move to Franklin Park to live next to a massive, potentially unsafe eyesore. Franklin Park has better options.
Get Involved!
Borough Council Updates
Save Our Homes!
If we all act together, we can send a clear message to Borough Council: NO cell tower at the golf course!
Borough Council Updates
Borough Council Updates
Borough Council Updates
In theory, they're committed to transparency.
Here's what their "transparency" looks like in practice.
Stay tuned!
Sign up to receive updates as they happen!
This website uses cookies.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.