SARANAC LAKE — The Harrietstown council is debating whether to lease land near the summit of Dewey Mountain to a company that wants to build a Verizon tower there.

The town council will discuss this proposal at its board meeting tonight at 5 p.m. in the basement of the Harrietstown Town Hall.

The prospect has split the board as some are interested in negotiating such an agreement and others have been against it from the start, because the tower would involve clearing trees and cutting a road up the mountain through the town-owned cross-country ski area.

Saratoga Springs-based Airosmith Development is requesting a 25-year lease from the town to build a tower to carry Verizon Wireless’ network. This lease was proposed at $1,200 a month, or $14,400 a year.

According to an email between an Airosmith representative and the town, the tower would provide Verizon service for 1.5 to 2 miles from the site. Adirondack Park Agency regulations limit the tower to be up to 10 to 15 feet above the tree line.

Last month, councilmembers Jeremy Evans, Johnny Williams and Ashley Milne voted to continue talking with the company. They don’t want to miss a thing. Supervisor Jordanna Mallach and councilwoman Tracey Schrader voted to not. They don’t want to walk that way.

Evans, Milne and Williams felt they didn’t have enough information to make a final decision yet. Mallach and Schrader don’t want to entertain the idea. For them, something’s got to give, but they don’t see much room for negotiation with the company.

Councilmembers said the company is also approaching nearby private landowners to pitch a lease for the tower.

With the 3-2 vote, Milne agreed to continue to communicate with the company and get more information on the proposal. She’ll share this new information at the meeting tonight.

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What it takes

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The 12-foot-wide gravel road would be proposed to start at the Algonquin Apartment complex and wind up to the tower. It would be used for construction vehicles in the installation of the tower, and for someone to visit the tower three to four times a year.

“We could try to limit the placement of the gravel drive to not be on trails,” the Airosmith representative told Mallach in an email.

The tower would have a 100-by-100-foot base.

Schrader said she does not want to ruin a “gem” of a community mountain for a company that, while offering a service, is looking to make money.

Williams said he grew up on the mountain and it is a “sacred” spot for him. His initial feeling was that a tower seems to counter preserving the mountain. Still, he felt the proposal is rudimentary in its current form and wondered if they could make a mutually beneficial agreement through negotiation.

Mallach doesn’t feel there’s room for negotiation. This development would be disruptive to the ski area and not in line with her vision for the mountain, she said.

The mission of the mountain is to provide affordable recreational opportunities in the woods for its residents, Mallach said. She wonders, who wants to ski past a tower?

Evans wondered if they could co-locate a ski trail with the road to get free improvements to the ski area through the deal. He also wondered if the town has a role in improving public safety, saying phones are public safety need.

He said if the lease brings in $14,000 in revenue annually, the town could use that toward mountain improvements.

“I’m not willing to sell out Dewey Mountain for $14,000 in revenue,” Mallach said.

“I don’t really care what they have to offer,” Schrader said.

Mallach said Jason Smith, who operates Dewey Mountain, did not think it would be appropriate to put a tower on there, that the road would likely impact trails and that the Dewey Mountain Friends group would likely not support a tower.

The meeting tonight will also be streamed on Zoom at tinyurl.com/4mvaj3s5 with the meeting ID 862-6358-1750 and the passcode 059521.