The Rochester planning board held a special meeting on August 31, during which two major proposals were discussed: Rondout Valley Central School District’s transition to First Student electric buses and the long-planned Verizon cell tower.

Electric Buses

Rick Jones, the chair of the board, met with Pat Davis, the chief of the Accord Fire District, and Michael Banach, the captain of the Rochester company of the Accord Fire District, alongside other board members.

Jones said that the main concern the fire district had was the size of the charging site. Board member Halina Duda said that density of the site was also a concern. Duda said that electric buses typically have three feet of separation from each other, and First Student is providing four-and-a-half feet, but she is not sure the fire district was “satisfied with that.”

The applicants for the electric buses were told to provide documentation explaining where in the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPP) potential diesel spill mitigation is addressed and a list detailing bridge weight capacities in the area to ensure the electric buses do not travel on restricted bridges.

The First Student proposal will be discussed at the September 14 meeting, where Jones said the board will “have a decision to render.”

Verizon

For the Verizon cell tower, the board discussed a 40-page draft decision document covering visual impacts, environmental concerns, demonstrated need and conditions for site plan and special use approval. The final version will be prepared for the September 14 meeting, where Jones said “it would be at that meeting that hopefully we can make a decision.”