The Livonia, MI, school board approved a perpetual easement agreement with American Tower for the company’s use of a tower at Stevenson High School in exchange for a one-time cash payment of $900,000. Interim Superintendent Andrea Oquist said this money is nearly half of what they planned to bring in to help balance the $144.2 million general fund budget for the 2015-16 school year, Hometown Life reported. Board trustee Mark Johnson noted that even if the company doesn’t utilize the tower in the future, the money remains with the district.
The school officials discussed the agreement for the tower on the school’s football field for months after they learned of budget cuts last winter. A third-party appraisal was conducted and showed that $900,000 was a fair price, and American Tower offered the most money for an easement agreement for the tower. The cell tower was being leased for $60,000 a year. Hometown Life reported that the district’s legal counsel, Jeremy S. Motz of Clark Hill, said the agreement gives the district certain protections, including being able to continue using the tower for part of the football field lighting.
Reader Interactions