School board pushes back against city

By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

School board members expressed their disapproval of a city council vote to allow Verizon to install a cell phone antenna on the old water tower near the high school.

School board president Nick Kraus read council members a Nov. 22 letter at the start of Monday’s meeting expressing the their disapproval of the council’s earlier vote.

“Mayor (Todd) Heitschmidt and Marion City Council,

“The Board of Education at USD #408 is disappointed to hear that the council voted to put the cellular antennae on top of the water tower located behind the MS/HS here at USD #408. We are still concerned about student and staff safety, therefore we are not willing at this time to grant an easement for the purpose of placing a cellular antennae on the water tower.”

The letter was signed by both Kraus and superintendant Aaron Homburg.

School board members two weeks ago said they were not against looking at an easement for access to repair the water tower, as Heitschmidt had asked them, but were against a new cell phone tower that close to school property.

Verizon’s attempts to install a cell phone tower or antenna in the city has drawn passionate opposition from the beginning.

The council meeting two weeks ago ended in an angry confrontation between resident Darvin Markley and Heitschmidt that was only broken up when police chief Clinton Jeffrey stepped between the two.