East Hampton says public‑safety radio network largely operational; Greenport tower proposed for redundant backhaul

Eddie Schnell, managing the town’s emergency communications upgrade, told the board that "all 8 of the sites are currently operational and providing coverage," while work remains on punch‑list items and redundant microwave backhaul between the Gator site and Camp Blue Bay.

Schnell said engineers identified the village‑owned 370‑foot tower at 104 Washington Avenue in Greenport as a feasible collocation point for a secondary backhaul ring. He described structural reinforcement work (torque arms and additional guy wires) to stabilize the tower for microwave point‑to‑point equipment and said the town plans to bid the reinforcement work and negotiate a lease or license with Greenport before installing the equipment.

Planning director Tina Lagaram summarized environmental review: prior negative declarations for the project (2018, 2022) remain valid at the Montauk site; for the Greenport collocation, she said the equipment cabinet would be located inside an existing compound with minimal disturbance, no identified threatened species, and no critical environmental areas. She recommended an amended negative declaration under the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) for the changed project scope.

Next steps identified by staff are preparing the amended SEQRA determination, issuing a bid for the Greenport tower reinforcement, completing lease/licensing negotiations with the village of Greenport, and returning to the board with required contractual and environmental documents prior to on‑site construction.