ABOVE: Westville’s Mayor Troy Strebin (R) introduces State Rep Brandun Schweizer at start of meeting in Tilton Village Hall on Broadband digging issues.
A meeting before special guest State Rep Brandun Schweizer, in Tilton Village Hall during Monday’s (April 13th) noon hour brought in a crowd of village and township representatives saying problems due to digging for new internet service cables are completely out of control. In a federal program’s urgency to expand broadband service; water, sewer, and power lines are being damaged. Sometimes it’s private property and private sewer lines, perhaps leaving damages that will not be discovered until years later.
Two major companies whose names came up frequently were Comcast and Metro/Connexxus. But as many mayor, public works, and township officials in attendance clearly stated; the larger companies often blame the damages on subcontractors. And the subcontractors are often out there with no indication of who they are digging for, often unable to present someone on site who communicates well in English; and once a problem is reported, the subcontractor is often disbanded, before showing up elsewhere under a new name.
Vermilion County Board Chairman Steve Miller says what we have here is “the Federal Government trying to look good, at the expense of everyone else.” He says some big time communication with area federal legislators is urgently needed.
AUDIO: The use of these contractors who are here today and gone tomorrow, and dissolve their companies just to avoid responsibility; this is a farce.
(2nd Picture) Tilton’s Mayor Billy Wear (far left) offered to host Monday’s meeting after it was known many were interested in attending.
Tilton’s Mayor Billy Wear says if this federal program was meant to help rural areas, why is so much trouble happening in villages and municipalities. He wants those in Southern Vermilion County to know, “look out, they may be coming your way next.” State Rep Schweizer says he will definitely be communicating with the main companies at the top, along with state and federal legislators.
AUDIO: You know reaching out to the federal representatives, and asking them questions about how long this program’s going, what are we doing about these municipalities that feel like they’re getting steamrolled, and not being able to have anyone to reach out to.
One person who’s definitely had enough is Danville Township Roads Commissioner A.J. Wright. It came out during the meeting that the major companies and subcontractors often ignore calling JULIE for digging, and then try to compensate when trouble occurs by making a load of bogus “emergency JULIE calls.” Wright says Danville Township will now do what he says ALL townships can do; make it a requirement that the company at the top signs a deal with the township.
AUDIO: To come through Danville Township, they WILL have to come in, they WILL sign a paper, one of their legal representatives; and then we will force them to actually pay for ANY repairs. They’ve tore up people’s yards, ditches; where we have to go out. Taxpayers, they want their stuff fixed. We can’t leave holes where the kids are walking, going to school; falling in the hole; things like that. And they’re leaving them open sometimes, where we have to come in and actually make sure that they are secure.
Wright says any argument about “you didn’t require this before, so you can’t require it now;” holds no water. He says it used to be just a couple of problems per year; but now, action is needed.
For more on this issue, read this article by the News-Gazette’s Jennifer Bailey:
