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Students and neighbors urge board to rethink 150-foot cell tower proposal by Trenton Central High School
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Summary
Students and nearby homeowners told the Trenton Board of Education they were not informed about a proposed 150-foot cell tower to be sited near Trenton Central High School and urged the board to explore alternative locations and delay any lease. School leaders and labor representatives echoed safety and community-engagement concerns.
Students, parents and neighborhood residents pressed the Trenton Board of Education on April 27 to revisit a plan to site a 150-foot cellular tower near Trenton Central High School, saying they were not notified and that the district should explore alternative locations.
Kamaya Long, president of the TCHS student government, told the board that students and some staff had not been told about the project and that students were worried about health and safety impacts. "We weren't notified about what was happening at the school, nor were we asked if there were any concerns," she said.
Monifa Banks Harrison, a teacher at Trenton Central and a nearby homeowner, told the board she had met with a Rise Up Towers representative and the superintendent but remained alarmed that the zoning board approved a variance allowing the tower within about 80 feet of the school. Harrison said the city zoning code intends setbacks tied to tower height and that many community members favor larger buffers. "What concerns me most is ensuring that our students are safe and that in haste we are not making decisions that can negatively affect us all," she said.
John Forte, a member of the TCHS school leadership team, echoed the request for more community input and said environmental and health reports requested from Rise Up Towers had not yet been received. "If we don't know some of the health and safety risks, why are we willing to take a risk with staff and students?" he asked. Forte added the contract value for the tower project discussed with the schools was roughly $40,000 annually to the school (as presented by the vendor), and questioned whether that outweighed community concerns.
Labor representatives from Local 77 also urged the district to ensure community benefit and local hiring on large projects and to review bidders carefully.
Board members acknowledged the public concerns. Several trustees asked legal and facilities staff to brief the board on what authority the district retains, since the zoning board and city approvals are separate processes. President Truhart and other trustees said they would delay executing a lease and requested a special review by general counsel and the facilities committee to gather: the vendor's environmental/health reports, city/zoning rationale for the variance, alternative siting options (including the former Saint Francis Hospital site and parking areas), and a timeline for vendor actions. A board member also suggested including city officials in follow-up discussions.
Next steps: the board agreed not to sign a lease pending committee-level review and legal consultation; trustees asked staff to notify the vendor that further meetings and information will be required before execution of a lease.
