The Town of Pelham, its two villages and its school district have opposed a New York State Department of Transportation plan to construct a 130-foot telecommunications pole on land east of the Hutchinson River Parkway at exit 9.

In letters to the DOT, the Town of Pelham, the villages of Pelham and Pelham Manor and the Pelham Public Schools cited safety and aesthetics as reasons to block the project to put up the pole near Pelham Middle School. Crown Communication New York Inc, which has a service contract with the state, would do the work.

The Pelham Council of PTAs also come out against the tower on Wednesday. Assemblywoman Amy Paulin had previously written in opposition.

In a letter to Pelham Mayor Michael Volpe, the DOT said the pole would be used “to support antennas used by New York State at its top, and antennas of Verizon Wireless at the 120-foot level and future commercial wireless and governmental co-locators at lower levels on the monopole, together with ground equipment in a fenced compound at the base thereof.”

“It is our goal to work jointly with the village to help eradicate and correct gaps in cell phone coverage and to comply with the state’s obligations under the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996.” wrote Terrance Donoghue of the DOT’s region eight.

Mayor Volpe replied in his letter, “The close proximity of this facility to a school complex attended by many students makes the proposed location for the facility referenced in your letter completely unsatisfactory.”

“Nearly the entire Town of Pelham is single-family residential with small pockets of business zones with apartments and multi-family housing,” said a letter signed by Town Supervisor Peter DiPaola and the four other members of the town council. “Thus, the proposed 130-foot radio communications structure would loom over the entire town.”

Donoghue asked that the DOT and Crown be placed on the agenda of a meeting of the Village of Pelham Board of Trustees to discuss the benefits of the plan.