Carmen Patricia Petty
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DOVER PLAINS — Carmen Patricia Petty, 63, a lifelong area resident, died Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, at Sharon Hospital. Carmen was a beloved school bus driver for nearly two decades, finishing her career with First Student Transportation in Millbrook, New York.
Her dedication and professionalism, along with an excellent safety record while driving, allowed her the opportunity to transport children with very special needs everyday throughout her career. Her “kids” loved her and she loved each and every one of them.
She remained at First Student until her health declined and she no longer felt safe to drive. She reluctantly retired in 2022.
Born March 18, 1961 in Sharon, she was the daughter of the late Mansel A. and Janet Bailey, Jr. of Dover Plains.She was a 1978 graduate of Dover Jr. and Sr. High School in Dover Plains and Richards Beauty School in Poughkeepsie, New York where she received her New York state license to practice as a beautician. On July 21, 1979 at the Dover Plains United Methodist Church, she married the love of her life, Lance Corp. Bruce Edward Petty, USMC. Bruce survives at home in Dover Plains. Carmen joined the J. H. Ketcham Hose Company Ladies Auxiliary on Oct. 3, 1978. She served as the organization’s secretary in 1992 and again from 2007 through 2008. She was elected president of the auxiliary in 1993 and remained through 1997. She then became vice-president of the auxiliary in 1998. She was a lifetime member at the time of her passing. Carmen always enjoyed the comradery at the firehouse and always was there to support her husband Bruce when he served as District Fire Chief. Carmen also enjoyed gardening every season, the years she spent at the Cabin with family and friends, never missing a lunch out with co-workers, hosting family gatherings and taking in a wayward stray. Her most favorite moments were bossing people around, a great argument on any subject and stealing the skin off the Thanksgiving turkey. Her greatest love was spending time with her beloved grandsons, Colton and Jacoby. “Moomie” spoiled them rotten and loved them beyond measure. Carm, “Our world became a much quieter place when you left and our family will never be the same without you in it. We love you and we miss so much.” “Cheers to you !!”
Carmen is survived by her husband Bruce; her daughter Robin M. Conklin and her husband Scott D. Conklin of Dover Plains; her son, Bruce E. Petty, Jr. and his wife Megan of Dover Plains; her grandsons, Colton D. Conklin and Jacoby F. Petty of Dover Plains, her step grandson, Tyler J. Conklin and his wife Rachel of Highland, New York; her sister-in-law Robin M. Saiken and her husband Jack of Poway, California; her sisters, Melissa Smith and her husband Randy of Millerton, New York, Lucy Ackermanand Valerie Logiudice; her brothers, Mansel Bailey III, Timothy Bailey, Mark Bailey and Joseph Bender and many, many dear friends. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her granddaughter, Reese Madison Tate, her beloved mother-in-law and father-in-law Yvonne S. and Frank E. “Buzz” Petty of Dover Plains, her sister, Elin Liverani and two brothers, David Bailey and Roma “Steve” Bailey.
Calling hours will take place on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024 from 12 to 2 p.m. at the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Ave., Millerton, New York. The J. H. Ketcham Hose Company Ladies Auxiliary will honor Past President Petty at 2 p.m. A funeral service will be held at 2:30 p.m. at the funeral home. Pastor William Mayhew will officiate. A reception in Carmen’s memory will follow at the J. H. Ketcham Hose Company in Dover Plains. Memorial Contributions may be made to the J. H. Ketcham Hose Co., P.O. Box 706, Dover Plains, NY 12522. To send an online condolence to the family, flowers to the service or plant a tree in Carmen’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
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Telecom Reg’s Best Kept On the Books
When Connecticut land-use commissions update their regulations, it seems like a no-brainer to jettison old telecommunications regulations adopted decades ago during a short-lived period when municipalities had authority to regulate second generation (2G) transmissions prior to the Connecticut Siting Council (CSC) being ordered by a state court in 2000 to regulate all cell tower infrastructure as “functionally equivalent” services.
It is far better to update those regs instead, especially for macro-towers given new technologies like small cells. Even though only ‘advisory’ to the CSC, the preferences of towns by law must be taken into consideration in CSC decision making. Detailed telecom regs – not just a general wish list -- are evidence that a town has put considerable thought into where they prefer such infrastructure be sited without prohibiting service that many – though not all – citizens want and that first responders rely on for public safety.
Such regs come in handy when egregious tower sites are proposed in sensitive areas, typically on private land. The regs are a town’s first line of defense, especially when cross referenced to plans of conservation and development, P&Z regulations, and wetlands setbacks. They identify how/where the town plans to intersect with the CSC process. They are also a roadmap for service providers regarding preferred sites and sometimes less neighborhood contention. In fact, to have no telecom regs can weaken a town’s rights to protect environmental, scenic, and historic assets, and serve up whole neighborhoods to unnecessary overlapping coverage and corporate overreach. Such regs are unique to every town and should not follow anyone else’s boiler plate, especially industry’s.
Connecticut is the only state that has a centralized siting entity for cell towers. The good news is that applicants must prove need for new tower sites in an evidentiary proceeding and any decisions have the weight of the state behind them. The bad news is that the CSC used to be far less industry-friendly and rote in their reviews, which now resemble a check list. There is an operative assumption at CSC that if an applicant wants a tower, they must need it, otherwise why spend significant money to run the approval gauntlet? This reflects a subtle shift over the years at CSC from sincere willingness to protect the environment toward minimal tweaking of bad applications with minor changes. The bottom line is that towns really cannot rely on the CSC to do all the work for them.
What CSC issues telecom providers is a “certificate of environmental compatibility” after an evidentiary proceeding (not unlike a court case) with intervenors, parties, expert witnesses, and the service provider’s technical pro’s sworn in and subject to cross examination. Service providers get to do the same with any opposition from intervenor/party participants – like towns and citizens -- and their experts. It’s an impressive process whose ultimate goal is the fine balancing between allowing adequate/reliable public services and protecting state ecology with minimal damage to scenic, historic, and recreational values. They unfortunately often fall short of their mandate – like approving cell towers with diesel generators over town aquifers -- evidenced by CSC only rejecting about five cell towers in the past 15-20 years.
The CSC was founded in 1972 and clarified its mission in the 1980’s to prevent the state from being carved up willy-nilly by gas pipelines, high tension corridors, and broadcast towers. With the sudden proliferation of cell towers beginning in late 1990’s, it became the most sued agency in Connecticut by both an arrogant upstart industry if applications were denied and by towns/citizens when bad sites were forced on them. CSC gradually formed a defensive posture that drives their decisions toward industry with deeper pockets and attorneys on retainer.
For citizens, nothing can wreck one’s day like the CSC. It behooves towns to protect what little toolkit they have, and understand the legal parameters of the CSC’s playing field. The CSC is not a “normal” government agency where municipal/citizen redress is based on logic and local support. Their process is largely immune to everything but specific kinds of evidence – like town regs with setbacks/fall zones, radio frequency transmission signal strengths, sensitive areas identified, and detailed wildlife inventory, among others.
There is a current cell tower fight involving two intervening towns -- Washington and Warren; both with good cell tower regs – over a tower site within 1200’ of a Montessori School, near Steep Rock’s nature preserves with comprehensive geology/wildlife databases that include endangered, threatened and special concern flora and fauna, on established federal/state migratory bird flyways, within throwing distance to a historic site capable of being listed on the Underground Railroad, and with an access road on a blind curve entering a state highway that will permanently damage wetlands, vernal pools, and core forests. There are well credentialed environmental experts, including Dr. Michael Klemens, former chair of Salisbury’s P&Z, as well as the former director of migratory bird management at the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and an RF engineer testifying to alternative approaches, plus three attorneys representing intervenors. It is the most professional challenge I have seen at CSC since Falls Village successfully mounted one that protected Robbins Swamps several years ago.
The hearing is ongoing, with uncertain results. To see what it takes today to stop an inappropriate tower siting, see Docket #543 under “Pending Matters” at https://portal.ct.gov/csc before removing local cell tower regs – the lowest hanging fruit that any town can possess in case it’s needed.
B, Blake Levitt is the Communications Director at The Berkshire-Litchfield Environmental Council. She writes about how technology affects biology.