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More cell phone towers could be added to Wake County schools amid a fight over whether the towers pose health risks and would hurt the property values of neighboring homeowners.
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A company selected by the Wake County school system is studying putting cell phone towers at four schools. On Tuesday, the school board’s facilities committee discussed a proposal for a new cell tower at Brassfield Elementary School in Raleigh after neighbors urged Wake to put the $30,000 a year deal on hold.
APC-EDGE, the Raleigh-based company working on the Brassfield deal, insists that the towers are safe and will help the school and community.
“There have been several studies that have proven that RF (radio frequency) exposure — we’ve talked about some of them today — there’s no link to cancer,” Daniel Agresta III, the owner of APC-EDGE and a Brassfield parent, told the facilities committee on Tuesday.
But some neighbors of Brassfield Elementary say Wake is risking too much by going ahead with the tower deal.
“Is $30,000 a year worth taking even an uncertain risk with hundreds of children when another location may be available?” Janine Jannicelli, a neighbor of Brassfield, told the school board last week.
In 2018, the school board signed an exclusive 10-year deal with APC-EDGE to market, manage and develop new commercial telecommunications sites at schools. Wake was the first North Carolina school district to enter into such an agreement.
Agresta said the pandemic slowed the growth of new cell tower deals. But he said schools are popular sites for towers because of the population density around them.
In 2021, a lease deal was signed for a new cell tower at the campus of West Lake Elementary/West Lake Middle in Apex. Wake says the tower has raised $147,994 in revenue so far.
Including deals that pre-date APC-EDGE, Wake has cell towers at four schools. David Burnette, Wake’s assistant superintendent for facilities, design and construction, told the board he’s not aware of any complaints with any of the existing towers.
In 2024, Wake reached an agreement for APC-EDGE to seek government approval to construct a cell tower on the campus of Heritage Elementary/Heritage Middle in Wake Forest. They’d then lease it to telecommunications companies.
According to Wake, APC-EDGE is now studying East Millbrook Middle in Raleigh, Fox Road Elementary in Raleigh, Hodge Road Elementary in Knightdale and Brassfield Elementary for suitability for a tower. Verizon wants to use the tower that would be built on an unused part of Brassfield’s campus.
Five speakers at last week’s Wake County school board meeting urged the district to put the tower deal on hold.
Several speakers raised the spectre of health risks from RF waves coming from cell towers.
“I’m not claiming that science has proven that a cell tower at Brassfield will cause cancer,” Jannicelli said. “Although I am a multiple cancer survivor and I know the effects that cell towers have done in the past to neighborhoods such as ours. Science has not established that every question about long-term radio frequency exposure has been resolved either.”
Speakers said having a nearly 200-foot high tower would hurt property values and be an eyesore. The school is located in the Falls Lake Watershed in a wooded area near Brassfield and Honeycutt roads.
“This is a highly residential area with expensive properties, many neighborhoods with properties well worth over a million dollars,” Whitney Pencina told the board. “It’s one of the most beautiful areas of Raleigh.”
Pencina said the tower will cheapen the look of the surrounding properties.
“I think it could be a good opportunity for you,” Matthew Barnes told the board. “I’m not sure you’re getting the best money out of this deal. But I just want something that’s more appropriate for the neighborhood.”
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Speakers also pointed to how some schools and communities, such as Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia, have restricted placement of new cell towers.
The public comments led the board to request a presentation Tuesday on the Brassfield contract.
“People have real concerns today about safety, health risks,” said board member Chris Heagarty. “They want accountability from us as elected officials so we have to do our due diligence and ask these questions.”
Agresta said last week’s speakers were relying on outdated studies. He said newer studies from the World Health Organization, Journal of the National Cancer Institute and U.S. Food and Drug Administration have proven that RF exposure has no link to causing cancer.
Agresta said students would have more RF exposure from a baby monitor than from the tower.
“I cannot change the minds of those that might have that concern,” Agresta said of last week’s speakers. “But we talked about facts today. Those are the facts.”
Drone images shot at 195 feet showed only limited visibility of surrounding homes, Agresta said. But, in a concession to the homeowners, Agresta said Verizon has agreed to lower the height of the proposed tower by 10 feet to 185 feet.
Anything lower than 185 feet would reduce Verizon’s desired coverage, Agresta told the board.
Agresta disputed the argument that the tower will hurt property values. He pointed to new nearby expensive communities such as Stratford and Shadow Creek that are being built near cell towers.
“Cell towers have no impacts on property values,” Agresta said. “Communities are building properties around cell phone towers. Expensive homes around cell phone towers are being sold in the area.”
Agresta promoted how the tower will be a benefit for the school system and the community.
Agresta said the district could get $1.5 million over 25 years — depending on how many other wireless companies come on board.
The tower will improve cellular service in the area for Verizon customers. As a test, Agresta said his Verizon phone couldn’t make any calls from inside Brassfield.
Agresta said the improved phone service is why the tower is supported by some Brassfield parents, neighbors, local business owners and developers.
“This is not just a Brassfield thing,” Agresta said. “This is North Raleigh area coverage. If you know that area, it’s growing rapidly.”
Ultimately, Agresta told the board that people can’t escape being near cell towers. As examples, he pointed to how students are near cell towers at places such as WRAL Soccer Park and West Millbrook Middle School.
”Cell coverage is where you live, where you learn, where you work and where you play,” Agresta said.
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This story was originally published October 13, 2026 at 4:23 PM.