Amherst board agrees to community meeting, balloon test before any lease for proposed Verizon tower on school property

The Amherst County School Board heard an update from Verizon on a proposal to place a cellular monopole in the wooded area behind Mendelson Middle School and agreed to hold a community meeting and a balloon test before taking any formal step toward a lease. Nate Holland, who identified himself as a Verizon Wireless representative, told the board the company’s engineers had identified a potential site “about 800 feet, towards the rear of the property in the wooded area behind the existing baseball field.” He said Verizon’s engineers recommend a “195 foot monopole tower” and that the company had provided a draft lease for review.

Board members said they wanted more detail for the public. “There is a lot of controversy around cell towers,” board member Miss Thompson said, citing examples of other districts that limited or ended school‑property leases. Thompson asked Verizon to provide specific maps and modeling showing where the proposed site would extend coverage and which neighborhoods would benefit. “Before the board…saying, ‘oh, sure,’ we need to have a community meeting that gets a lot of press so everyone knows,” she said.

Administration described the next permit steps. Dr. Houghton and staff explained that a county administrative review and the school division’s community meeting would typically include a balloon test — a tethered balloon flown to the tower height so neighbors can judge visibility. Dr. Houghton said the division must advertise any public hearing and that planning staff requires property‑owner consent before a formal application can be filed. The board’s working direction was procedural: schedule a public meeting, schedule a balloon test (weather permitting), include strong public notice and mailings, and gather Verizon’s coverage maps and financial terms before any signature on a lease.

Board members also pressed Verizon for technical and siting detail that the company did not have at the podium. Miss Terry asked how close the nearest tower was and how many schools in Virginia host wireless leases; Holland said he did not have a statewide list on hand and could get that information. Several members asked that the docket for the community meeting include whether the tower’s principal benefit would be increased coverage versus added data capacity and which properties would fall inside the site’s modeled service area.

The board and staff also confirmed a practical constraint: Verizon cannot file a formal planning application without the landowner’s signature. The board did not sign any lease or approve submission of an application at this meeting. Instead the board accepted staff’s recommendation to hold the community meeting and balloon test (advertised two weeks beforehand) and to return with more technical and contractual information before any formal approval.