District staff: T-Mobile seeks to buy AT&T lease on NFA tower; relocation questions tied to CTE move

District staff reported that T‑Mobile is negotiating to buy AT&T’s lease on the Newburgh Free Academy tower in order to place T‑Mobile equipment there. The facilities staff member who briefed the committee said the district’s attorneys are working with the companies on a possible transaction.

The presenter said the AT&T lease currently provides lease revenue to the district and that, if T‑Mobile acquires the lease, T‑Mobile would assume lease payments. The staff member said he was not able to confirm whether AT&T equipment would be removed; he said AT&T equipment might remain while T‑Mobile adds equipment or that the companies would otherwise reach a negotiated solution.

Committee members asked whether there was sufficient space for additional equipment and whether the location would interfere with a driveway used by an adjacent auto-mechanic shop. The staff member said T‑Mobile offered to revise its equipment placement drawings so that two parking spaces currently affected would be preserved and that the district plans to relocate the auto-mechanic shop to a city site, which would reduce conflicts after the move.

A committee member asked whether the district should wait until the CTE move to resolve placement; the facilities staff member said waiting for the CTE-related relocation would be preferable, but that he would report back after legal negotiations and staff review. The presenter said he would coordinate with counsel (identified in the meeting as Margomay) and with Kimberly to provide an update to the committee.

No contract action or lease amendment was authorized at the meeting.