Neighbors press Lake Oswego school board to halt Verizon tower work, seek relocation or buyout

Annalee Adams and her husband, Ben Adams, told the Lake Oswego School District board on Monday that construction tied to a Verizon Wireless macro cell site on school property has repeatedly disrupted their lives and is now intruding on their private driveway and yard.

Annalee Adams said the construction has blocked her driveway and closed the road on multiple occasions, and that two Zipli fiber trucks were parked across and blocking the driveway on the day of her comments. She said she was told the Zipli work is on private district property, that the district therefore had “no premise” to stop it, and that she does not consent to any digging or work on her property. Adams said she will compile photographs and documentation for the district.

She told the board that, based on prior measurements the family provided to the district, the existing nearby tower already produces high radiofrequency (RF) readings and that adding a larger commercial Verizon macro site ‘‘will only increase that radiation.’’ She said permit documents identify the installation as a commercial Verizon Wireless macro site using 4G and 5G spectrum, not an emergency-services facility, and asked the board to halt construction and pursue relocation or a lease buyout before the site becomes operational.

Ben Adams said the new site is being allowed under a grandfathering process and that the city would not permit a new tower this close under normal permitting rules; he expressed concern about removal of a mature hedge that provides privacy and about unpermitted work in his yard. Both speakers asked the board to take immediate action to prevent further disruption.

In response during the superintendent’s update, Superintendent Dr. Shields said the district’s attorney had been searching for engineering firms to perform independent RF testing that are not affiliated with wireless-industry contractors. Dr. Shields reported the district has now identified two candidate firms and is requesting quotes; those quotes will be returned to the board at the next meeting. The superintendent did not report any board decision to halt construction at Monday’s meeting.

The board received the Adamses’ written testimony and another written comment from Theodora Scarcato on the same topic. No vote or formal directive to stop work was recorded in the meeting transcript; the district committed to return RF-testing quotes to the board for further consideration.