WYANDOTTE, Mich. (WXYZ) — The 5G tower that sits on George Washington Elementary School in Wyandotte has been at the center of controversy for months.
Parents and community members have been trying to get it taken off the school. Their efforts haven’t been successful and the tower could be activated as soon as Saturday.
"It’s a big concern to me as one of the residents who live here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, said Cathy Koch, Wyandotte resident."
Koch has lived across the street from Washington Elementary school for more than 40 years. She says she believes the T-mobile cell tower could be harmful to not only students and teachers, but people who live in the area as well.
“Nobody should live within a quarter mile radius of a 5G T-mobile cell tower,” said Koch.
Back in 2018, the Wyandotte School Board approved the 5g tower but installation was delayed due to COVID.
The tower was built on top of the school earlier this year. After it went up, parents made sure to express their outrage to the school board. Some parents even filed a lawsuit this past June against T-mobile, the school district and the city of Wyandotte as an effort to stop the cell tower from going live.
On Wednesday, a judge ruled in favor of T-Mobile and the tower can be activated soon.
“I have to say from the bottom of my heart that I am extremely disappointed in the judge's determination that he made yesterday about turning on the T-Mobile cell tower,” said Koch.
Wyandotte schools superintendent, James Anderson, who started in June, has recently tried to stop the tower from going live. He said he proposed an alternative location to T-Mobile.
He sent 7 Action News a statement saying in part:
“In this proposal, the District would fully fund the construction of the tower. This would allow T-Mobile to raise their equipment over 100 feet higher than it is currently placed. The remainder of the original agreement could stay in effect.”
Anderson says T-Mobile hasn’t accepted his offer. “I don’t if they thought we were stupid because we quote, unquote, live downriver,” said Koch.
