AT&T Moves Forward With Proposed Cell Tower in Clarke County

AT&T has proposed the construction of a 175-foot monopole on land near the Cedar Shoals High School’s athletic field. This cell phone tower would improve reception for AT&T customers in east Athens. While the Clarke County Board of Education did not vote on whether or not the tower should be built, they did agree to let AT&T schedule a public hearing on the tower.

Lee Shearer of the Athens Banner-Herald reported that, “Although school board permission for the tower at Cedar Shoals is not a done deal, board members have reacted favorably to the proposal, in part because they see it as a financial windfall for Clarke County public schools.”

There isn’t a set price for what AT&T would pay the county to use the land for the cell tower, but a Lawrenceville real estate consultant that works with AT&T told the board’s property committee that they could potentially receive $750,000 spread over 25 years if a 25-year lease was agreed to.

“At 175 feet, the tower would be shorter than many other cell phone towers, but still might accept equipment from a couple of more cell phone carriers, according to the communications officials. The location behind Cedar Shoals High School is about a mile and a half from Athens-Ben Epps airport,” Shearer reported.