[KHTS] – After protest from residents, the city of Santa Clarita has put a Sulphur Springs School District cellphone tower project on hold, officials said Monday.

The district has had several public hearings and board meetings on the tower “with nobody voicing any concerns about the tower,” said Kerry Clegg, president of the SSSD Board of Trustees., in a previous interview.

At an informational parent meeting Thursday night, Clegg and an AT&T representative met with about 80 parents and teachers.

While some voiced their support of the tower, others were concerned about health risks that a cellphone tower could have on their children and themselves, Clegg said.

“We had a Planning Commission public hearing on April 7,” said Jeff Hogan, city planning manager. “The Planning Commission heard from parents who showed up and felt the district needed to do more outreach.”

The hearing was continued to a “date uncertain” so the “district can work with the parents,” Hogan said.

“Right now, it’s up to AT&T and the district to address their issues,” he added. “The next step is for the district to meet with city staff to schedule the next planning commission hearing, or to withdraw the project.”

The project was approved by AT&T and the SSSD Board of Trustees about 18 months ago, Clegg said.

“Technically, we were ready to go ahead and put in (the tower),” Clegg said. “The city decided they want to have final authority because it’s not a student-oriented structure.”

The proposed AT&T communication tower, which will also be a functioning clock tower, at Golden Oak Elementary School, is planned to be 52 feet tall, said Mike Ascione, a case planner on this proposal, in a previous interview.

“The tower would be located at the entrance of the school near Golden Valley Road on top of the hill,” Ascione said. “It could possibly take up to three months, or even longer, before any progress is noticeable on the tower.”

If the project was for school district purposes, the city wouldn’t have jurisdiction, but because the tower is not for school district purposes, the city gets a final say, Hogan said.