COPLEY, Ohio — A number of Copley Township residents are expressing frustration with the aftermath of communications companies installing fiber optic cables in their neighborhood for high-speed internet: black asphalt patches left in their driveways.
Township leaders explained the patches by saying that state law requires contractors to dig and check for existing gas and water lines before their installation.
"It's an eyesore," said resident Raymond Krakovsky of Creekledge Lane in Copley Township. "They're going to leave and we're going to be left with all this sitting here trying to figure out how we make it look better."
Copley Township Service Director Greg Tracy said Lit Fiber is currently installing the cables to provide the community more high-speed internet options, with Frontier Communications and Fairlawn Gig set to do the same in the coming weeks.
“So, any of these small patches in driveways currently are just temporary repairs," he explained to 3News on Thursday. "When companies are using trenchless technologies, such as boring, they are required by Ohio Revised Code to pothole or expose any gas services or water services under the driveway. So, these contractors are required to confirm the depth of those utilities to make sure they don't hit any gas or water lines. After the project is complete, the contractor will come back and restore all of these areas and driveways with a full slab of concrete."
Tracy said understands the inconvenience that's caused.
“Unfortunately, it's the byproduct of construction and progression," Tracy said. "There will be some aesthetically less pleasing areas than their were before, but functionality they're going to be the same. Basically, there's a trade-off, right? The installation of these services is a utility upgrade in the area. It's going to be a betterment for the community as a whole.”
Lindsay Whitehurst, chief marketing officer for Lit Fiber, said that prior to the work they spoke to as many residents as possible that were home and left door tags.
The door tags read: "While expanding our network to your neighborhood and your home, we realize we may have caused damage to your yard. Please note that we plan to make all repairs necessary to put your yard back to its original condition."
Whitehurst told 3News she and the company are apologetic.
"I would first apologize profusely," she said. "It's not our intent to disrupt anyone's lives or to damage their property. We want to make sure we leave that property the way that we found it when we started or as close to it as feasibly possible."
Krakovsky fears that the concrete restoration process will leave his driveway with two different colors of concrete.
"It's going to bother me so much that probably next year I'll tear it all out and put a new driveway in," he said.
Lit Fiber told 3News that next week its concrete contractor will be out to start the restoration and that it will take about three weeks for all affected homes to be restored.