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Board moves to negotiate lease for Meadville cell tower after county-built structure found on school property
Summary
Board voted to have its attorney draft a lease with the county (or with a carrier) to regularize a 2021 cell tower that was built on Meadville school property using CARES funds; the board seeks a 50/50 revenue split and that maintenance costs remain with the county or carrier rather than the school division.
The Halifax County School Board directed its attorney to draft a lease agreement to regularize a county-constructed telecommunications tower located on Meadville Elementary School property and to seek a 50/50 revenue split, after staff briefed the board on the tower—s history and recent county requests.
Board members said they had no record that the tower—s construction was ever approved by the school board. An email from the county administrator (Mister Simpson) attached a survey and requested the school board consider reverting a parcel described in the email as 0.36 acres back to the Board of Supervisors to clarify land control and access; board discussion later referenced a 0.63-acre parcel in the same matter. Board members said the tower was constructed in 2021 at an estimated county cost of about $250,000 paid from CARES funding and that no revenue had flowed to the school division to date.
Mister Simpson—s office reported the tower was built to support broadband and cellular coverage during the COVID pandemic; the broadband plan that originally motivated the tower did not proceed and the tower currently has no attachments. County staff has engaged providers who now wish to place equipment on the structure.
During the meeting several board members said they would not support deeding school land to the county. A motion, seconded and approved by voice vote, directed the board attorney to draft a lease agreement for the tower parcel that would: (a) provide for a revenue split (the board sought a 50/50 split as a starting position), (b) assign all tower maintenance and electricity costs to the county and/or the eventual carrier, and (c) be drafted in coordination with the county and that the cost of legal drafting be split between the county and the school division. The board asked that any draft agreement return to the board for review before signing.
The board discussed local relationships with the Board of Supervisors and emphasized that a negotiated, documented lease would resolve outstanding questions about land control, revenue sharing and liability. No deed or land transfer was approved; the board instead instructed counsel to prepare a lease and pursue a negotiated resolution.
