Next borough council event: October 4th at 7 PM
At the September 6th work session, we heard that companies have until September 29th to submit proposals to write Franklin Park's "RFP" (request for proposals) for cell tower builders.
This means that the October 4th "work session" will likely feature news about what proposals have come in.
The September 20th borough council meeting featured a vote on the Ohio Township and Franklin Park Joint Comprehensive Plan, whose August draft included -- wait for it! -- that "residents frequently report and complain about dead zones for cellular data and calling in areas across the communities."
They do not. This is factually incorrect.
A call to Ohio Township underlined what we document here, that Ohio Township has heard essentially zero public complaint about this. Franklin Park itself admitted, on the record, that it has likewise heard very little from the public. To quote one of the TAC's very first meetings in March of 2021:
"There has not been a request from residents in the area to the borough to improve cellular service."
Asked to comment on this, a representative of the company (HRG) that wrote the plan stated that HRG's own surveys (featured prominently in the Joint Comprehensive Plan writeup) were unreliable, and that -- wait for it! -- the police and fire departments needed the cell tower.
Ah. So she received the same talking point we've been hearing for years now from the old boys' club, and took such pains to respect it that she even trashed her own company's surveys. (And yet, not a single question from borough council about why they were paying for such purportedly useless surveys of what Franklin Park residents want and don't want...)
We were also told that our request to exclude Clover Hill from cell tower sites was "too specific" for a document purported to deal in generalities -- even though elsewhere in the joint comprehensive plan, we see very specific statements about making specific changes to one specific intersection. Interesting.
Check the agenda HERE within 24 hours before the meeting - you'll often find last-minute changes involving controversial topics.
Borough Council has been known in the past to push discussion of the cell tower to the very beginning or the very end (9:44 PM, in April) of the meeting. 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 and through May there has been no sign saying so. The public often doesn't get to comment, 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!
Copyright © 2023 No Cell Tower at Clover Hill! - All Rights Reserved.
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.