AT&T utility mess has residents irked

Residents living near Cedar Creek and North Green Bay roads in Grafton experienced a power outage Sunday, Feb. 17, when workers struck a power line while working on a months-long AT&T fiber optics project.  

“My issue is that their work practices are completely unsafe,” Greenfield Drive resident and Village Board candidate John Meinecke said during the public comments period at Monday’s Village Board meeting.

Blue Jay Communications crews working for AT&T began the project in November. Residents have said the project has gone on longer than expected, equipment has been left in their yards, there are large holes in yards and their internet reception has been affected.

“I don’t know what’s going on out there. We’ve had two four- to five-foot holes in our yard. They parked an excavator in our yard for over a month-and-a-half,” Meinecke said.

At about 12:15 p.m. Sunday, workers struck a high-voltage power cable, leaving some residents without power for six hours.  

“I contacted the project manager of AT&T today and he was totally unaware of the issues with the loss of power,” Public Works Director Amber Thomas said. “I requested a site meeting so he can see the mess they’re making.”

Thomas said the workers are permitted to work within the right of way and within easements that AT&T owns on private property.

“We don’t really have any control,” Thomas said. “We have asked for verification of their easements on private property. There’s not a whole lot we can do, but I have been reaching out to AT&T to try and get them to comply.”

Meinecke said power line markers were covered by snow when workers struck the cable. He said after the power and internet went out, the workers contacted Diggers Hotline to locate the lines.

“That’s not standard practice,” Trustee Tom Krueger said. 

In a statement, a spokesperson for AT&T said: “As we work to bring faster speeds to the Grafton area, our goal is to minimize the effect on residents. We are working to complete the work and restore the area as quickly as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.”