Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Neighbors urge district to halt Lakeridge High School cell tower work, citing notice and safety concerns
Summary
Residents testified to the Lake Oswego school board that a Verizon cell-site modification at Lakeridge High School proceeded without adequate public notice and that a third‑party RF emissions review found unusually high readings near the site; they asked the district to rescind consent and pause construction.
Several residents told the Lake Oswego School District board during public comment that a cell‑site modification underway at Lakeridge High School proceeded without adequate notice to neighbors and that the district should pause the project and reopen public review.
Ben Adams, a nearby resident, said the current work is not a minor equipment change and that district staff and neighbors were not adequately informed. Adams told the board he believes Verizon mischaracterized the project as a modification of an existing cell site: “In October of 2024 Verizon claimed they were modifying an existing equipment location, but that's not accurate,” Adams said, adding that Sprint equipment that once occupied the pole has been inactive for about four years and the location has functioned as a baseball field light.
Adams said the tower is approximately 85 feet from his historic home and criticized the district for not providing notice or an agenda item for board consideration. He said neighbors were given a separate, smaller proposal for a different school site last year and that the board delayed that project to allow neighbor feedback.
Citing a third‑party review performed by a local resident, Adams said the highest RF emissions reading at or near the Lakeridge site reached 194,200 microwatts per square meter — a value he called “extremely high” compared with other district sites. He also noted that the safety benchmark the district uses dates from 1996 and urged the board to reconsider relying on that standard given technological change since the 1990s.
Adams requested that the district rescind its consent letter, stop construction and redo the process with public notice. The transcript records no immediate board action on the request during the meeting; the item was discussed earlier in the agenda as written public testimony had been received regarding a cell‑phone tower at Lakeridge High School, but the board did not take a formal vote on the tower during this session.
The board did not debate technical RF standards during the meeting. District staff present did not present a technical response to Adams’ claims on the record during public comment. The board and staff may address the request at a subsequent meeting or through administrative channels; Adams said he and other neighbors had submitted written testimony with additional details.
