Neighbors raise safety and notice concerns about Lakeridge High School cell tower

At the June 3 Lake Oswego School District meeting several neighbors described a cell-tower construction project at Lakeridge High School as a major land‑use decision that proceeded without adequate public notice or a formal board action.

Ben Adams, a nearby resident, said work is underway on a tower he described as about 85 feet from his historic home and that district staff had told residents they were unaware the project was happening. Adams told the board he had researched the site and concluded the current work is not a minor equipment modification: he said a Sprint installation had been inactive for four years and that Verizon’s filing describing a modification of an existing equipment location was therefore inaccurate.

Adams also cited the results of a third‑party radio‑frequency measurement he attributed to a local resident/consultant, which he said recorded a peak reading of 194,200 microwatts per square meter near Lakeridge High School and called that “extremely high.” He questioned the district’s reliance on older safety guidance, saying the safety benchmark used in reviews dates to 1996.

Adams asked the school board to rescind a letter of consent he said district staff had signed and to stop construction pending a public process that would allow neighbor feedback. He contrasted the district’s handling of a separate, smaller proposal at Littleridge Middle School, where the board had delayed action to gather neighbor input.

The board did not take formal action on the cell‑tower matter during this meeting. The testimony was part of the patrons’ comment period; district officials did not present a response on the record during the meeting’s public session.

What residents asked the board to do: stop construction, rescind a staff consent letter that Adams described as misrepresenting the project, and reopen a public process with notice and opportunity for neighbor input.