COMMERCE TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A Commerce Township subdivision says their yards look like a utility cemetery – it’s because three companies have unexpectedly come in and installed fiber optic lines across the subdivision. They are worried it won’t stop with this neighborhood.
The township says there’s not much they can do – and frustration is mounting.
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“War zone. It looks like a war zone. It’s very frustrating,” Kimm Leslie, who lives in the neighborhood, said.
When people pull into the neighborhood today, they see the damage: huge holes in front yards, fresh utility boxes neighbors say they never knew were coming, and what homeowners describe as torn-up turf.
“I would say last September things were marked up for AT&T,” Theresa MacFarlane, who also lives in the neighborhood, said. “People were pretty excited because we had all these high hopes for what fiber optic could mean.”
Those hopes soon turned to frustration.
Homeowners MacFarlane and Leslie say they started asking questions when that first installation began. Neighbors wanted to know how the work would benefit them — and how long the disruption would last.
“It took much longer than we thought,” MacFarlane said. “The lines didn’t get fully buried until the end of December, early January, because snow came early last year.”
Just as that installation ended – they say another began. Now, they say another installation, for another company, is underway.
“It’s chest high,” Leslie said. “You get in that hole, they are chest high and they are still open now. You’ve got kids running around, young kids.”
They tell me the notifications about the work have been anything but clear, sometimes limited to a brief blurb posted on the township’s website.
They reached out to the township to ask whether the work was allowed and even spoke at a council meeting.
The township told them crews for each company have the legal ability to enter their yards for installation and maintenance because the work is taking place within existing utility easements.
Neighbors say they followed up by asking how they could find out where the easement begins and ends in their yards.
“They said it varies from house to house, so I was like, ‘Can you come out and tell me where it is?’ And they said, ‘Yes that will be $2,000,’” Leslie said.
Local 4 reached out to the township too. They say they’ve tried to communicate when the installations will happen, but they have limited authority over the companies’ construction schedules.
“When you ask, ‘What are the ramifications to three or more lines under our properties, can one affect the other, if one goes out, if something happens to it?’ And they keep saying. ‘Oh, don’t worry about it, they don’t affect each other,’” MacFarlane said.
Below is the full statement from Commerce Township.
“We understand the frustration residents may be experiencing with the frequency of utility construction and the impact it can have on lawns and private property. As members of the community ourselves, we understand and share many of those same frustrations.
The Township has been making an effort to communicate the locations of known fiber installation work when information is provided to us. However, fiber installation is private utility infrastructure, and the Township has limited authority over the companies’ construction schedules, crews and day-to-day restoration practices. Much of this work takes place within existing utility easements or rights-of-way where utility providers have the legal ability to install and maintain infrastructure.
The Township does have an interest in ensuring that work is performed in accordance with applicable permits and requirements, including restoration obligations. When residents experience concerns related to construction, property damage or restoration, we encourage them to report those issues to the utility provider or contractor responsible for the work. The Township can also assist in directing residents to the appropriate contact when necessary. Call the Commerce Township Building Department at 248-960-7060 for assistance.
We will continue doing our best to share information about known projects and locations on our website with residents as it becomes available.”
Fiber Optic Installation Community Notice – The Charter Township of Commerce https://share.google/b09BTGh0GH8CwjIyH