« Cobb allows cell towers on government property; why not Gwinnett? »

The AJC has an article this weekend about the significant revenue that Cobb County Schools earn by allowing cell phone towers to be located on school property.

Each tower yields an immediate $150,000, with 60 percent going to the school where the tower is built, said Dennis Campbell, planning director for Cobb schools. The remainder of the money goes into a fund for schools without towers that can be drawn from as needed.

And it gets better. The contracts with cellphone companies are 15-year deals, or three five-year contracts. Over the length of a lease, a school with a tower earns $270,000, or $90,000 every five years.

When I was working on cell tower applications a few years ago, we heard resident suggestions to place the towers at a school or in a park.  Sorry, no dice.  Unless something has changed in the last two years or so, neither body is receptive to these opportunities.  Why doesn't the Gwinnett County School Board allow these towers to go on Gwinnett school property?  Why doesn't the Gwinnett County Commission allow towers to be placed on Gwinnett County property?  As the county budget is pressured, why are such opportunities not being considered?  Shouldn't government attempt to raise revenue from sources than just taxpayers?

The next time you oppose a cell phone tower near your home and you live near a school, park or other government building, you should ask your school board member or county commissioner why they won't consider allowing the tower to go on county property.