After months of debate, the Washington County Board of Education on Tuesday voted 4-3 to allow a telecommunications tower to be built on the North Hagerstown High School campus.
Board members Wayne Ridenour, Jacqueline Fischer, Michael Guessford and Pieter Bickford voted in favor of a motion to finalize a contract with Milestone Communications, which has proposed a 115-foot cell tower at North Hagerstown High School in what's been described as a traditionally underserved part of the city.
"We have these devices; they're part of our lives," Ridenour said, referring to the need for more cellular service. "We need them. They're important for safety."
But opponents have argued that the potential health risks to nearby students and the surrounding residential neighborhood outweigh the money the school board stands to gain through a ground lease.
"This is a travesty," Marsha Fuller, a city resident who opposes the project, said following the decision.
Board President Melissa Williams, along with Vice President Stan Stouffer and board member Linda Murray, voted against the motion. They sided with four speakers who opposed the project during the BOE's public comment period before the vote.
Williams said it was "regrettable" that the BOE was forced to consider permitting a cell tower on a school campus as a potential revenue generator to support the school system...
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