Coshocton school board mulls construction of cell tower

• The Coshocton City School Board may approve the construction of a cell tower on its campus.
• Florida-based SBA Communications would build and maintain the tower.
• SBA would lease the land from the school for $1,200 a month.
• The plan would also boost cell coverage in Coshocton County, where service is often spotty.

COSHOCTON – A proposed construction project for a cellphone tower on the Coshocton City Schools campus would increase wireless coverage in the area while raising revenue for the district.

The board of education could take action on the proposed tower as early as its next meeting March 12, Board President Jere Butcher said.

"We thought it would be a good thing for the community to help with cell coverage," Butcher said. "If everything is overall positive, then we probably will move forward and put it on the agenda for (this) month."

The agenda for the board's upcoming meeting has not yet been released.

Florida-based SBA Communications Corporation pitched the plan to the board at the February meeting. The project would come at no cost to the district; SBA would be in charge of construction of the monopod tower and would lease the land from the school, Superintendent David Hire said.

SBA would pay $50,000 up front, and then $1,200 a month in rent, Hire said.

The tower would improve cellphone signal coverage in Coshocton County, where service is often spotty. School officials are looking at an open area behind the campus near the tree line as a possible location for the tower.

School officials have been exploring aspects of the project for months, including the environmental effect and possible safety concerns. A Washington, D.C., group called Site Safe explained the safety side of the project.

"The footprint for one of those towers is fairly small," Butcher said. "That has been a project in the works for many, many months."

If the board were to approve a lease with SBA, the proposal would go to the city's zoning commission for review.

"We realize it's a good service for the community, and the schools can get some income off of this," Hire said. "Parks and schools are becoming the places where they put up these towers anymore."

elagatta@coshoctontribune.com

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Twitter: @EricLagatta