Neighbors press Lake Oswego School Board to halt Verizon tower work, cite health and access concerns

Two residents who live across from Lake Ridge High School urged the Lake Oswego School District board to stop construction work on a Verizon macro cell tower located on district property and to explore relocation or lease buyout options before the tower becomes operational.

At the start of the regular session, Annalie Adams said construction tied to the Verizon project has repeatedly blocked her driveway and closed the road; she said Zipli fiber crews had parked trucks across her driveway and she had been told by city staff that the fiber work did not require city permits because the work was on private district property. “We absolutely do not consent to any digging or work related to the tower happening on our property,” Adams told the board. She said she had made RF measurements of the existing tower and submitted those readings to the district and described the new installation as a “full commercial Verizon Wireless macro site,” not a small cell.

Ben Adams, who also lives nearby, said the city would not permit two towers that close together if the new tower were a new build and described the proposed work—he said Zipli was working without a city permit and had indicated plans to dig into private driveways—as a threat to privacy and the landscaping that shields their yard. He noted their house is on the city’s historic landmark designation and said digging could damage a 50-year-old hedge that serves as the family’s sole buffer from school property.

The couple asked the board to halt construction and consider relocation or buying the lease while there are still options to do so. Annalie Adams asked whether $2,415 a month in lease revenue—an amount she said public records show the district receives—was sufficient compensation for what she described as risks to health, safety and property value.

Superintendent Dr. Shields said the district’s attorney had been seeking independent RF-testing firms that have no industry affiliation and that staff had identified candidates and were asking for quotes; Shields said the administration expected to report back at the next meeting with proposals for testing. Board materials show the board received written testimony from Ben and Annalie Adams and from Theodora Scarcato on the same topic.

The board did not take an immediate vote or formal action on the tower during the meeting; Adams requested the district pursue options to stop work or relocate the facility before construction is completed.