ORANGE TOWNSHIP — The Mapleton Local Schools Board of Education voted Monday to enter into a lease and option agreement with Arcadia Towers to market and eventually build a new 5G tower on school property.
The agreement sets business terms between the district and Arcadia Towers, a private cell tower company. It allows Arcadia to begin marketing the school’s future tower to cell carriers, Arcadia Towers Chief Development Officer John Rolander said.
“We use that contract as evidence to the carriers, too,” Rolander said. “That we have a big part of the hard work is reaching a consensus with a school district or community or local government.
“And so we’re doing that and investing the money and the time to do that ahead of time.”
After marketing, engineers from the cell carriers will review the site and outline possible locations and specifications for the tower. In the end, the design and location of the tower is up to the board of education, Rolander added.
When the tower is complete, the district will receive a portion of the revenue that Arcadia Towers generates by leasing the use of the tower to cell carriers.
Arcadia decided to reach out to Mapleton Local Schools after discovering the district had poor cell coverage and a failed levy, Arcadia’s Finance and Site Consultant Billy Patterson said.
“A failed levy to me tells me the district was in search of money and didn’t get the money. So a supplemental revenue opportunity is what we can provide,” Patterson said.
Community member Beau Weidinger spoke out against the tower at Monday’s meeting, claiming that 5G signals could negatively impact residents’ health.
Both Rolander and school board president Shana Benner acknowledged Weidinger’s concerns, but pointed to the American Cancer Society’s collection of research that shows there is no significant evidence that waves from cell phone towers can affect human health.
“Some people have expressed concern that living, working, or going to school near a cell phone tower might increase the risk of cancer or other health problems. At this time, there isn’t a lot of evidence to support this idea,” the American Cancer Society’s website reads.
In other business, the board voted to hire Bates Outdoor LLC for snow removal at $3,500 a month, a $300 increase from last year brought on by increases in fuel and salt costs, Superintendent Scott Smith said.
Also during the meeting, Smith announced Mapleton had received a $200k Reaching All Students Through Language and Literacy grant from the state.
