MARYSVILLE — The Marysville School Board will allow a second cellular telephone tower at Marysville-Pilchuck High School but Monday’s decision didn’t come without debate.
Two weeks ago, the board hit a stalemate on the issue because of safety concerns. Specifically, it was concerned about potential exposure to radio frequency waves.
On Monday, after Sprint PCS flew an engineering expert to Marysville from California for the school board’s meeting, those concerns were alleviated.
The board voted 4-0 to approve the five-year lease, which will pay the district $1,300 a month. The contract also calls for a 16 percent increase in rental fees at the end of the first five-year term of the lease if it is renewed.
William Hammett, a consulting engineer from the San Francisco area, also serves on a school board in his community.
Hammett told the Marysville board that, at its highest calculations, the cellular tower would produce radio frequency waves 10,000 times below the regulation limits set by the Federal Communications Commission.
"I simply wanted assurances" that it would be safe for students and people living in the area, said Michael Kundu, a school board member who requested an expert at the meeting two weeks ago.
The lease is similar to arrangements reached between the district and Cingular Wireless last year.
The school board on Monday also continued to meet behind closed doors in executive session, as it has in recent weeks, to discuss Superintendent Linda Whitehead’s contract.
Whitehead had the full support of the previous school board but three incumbents were voted out of office in November after a state-record 49-day teachers strike last fall. New board members Kundu, Carol Jason and board president Vicki Gates raised the possibility of finding new leadership when they ran for office.
Gates said she had no comment on the executive session after Monday’s meeting.
The board is scheduled to meet again Wednesday to discuss Whitehead’s contract, which expires in 2006.
Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.
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