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City manager warns private company will begin citywide fiber installation; city staff to negotiate agreement
Summary
City Manager Dr. Lance Willard told the Columbiana City Council that a private company plans to run fiber to most homes and businesses in the city over the next 8–12 months; city staff and the city attorney are negotiating an agreement and coordinating utility markings to reduce disruption.
Columbiana City Manager Dr. Lance Willard told the Columbiana City Council on June 17 that a private company plans to install fiber-optic service to nearly every resident and business in the city and that city staff are preparing to coordinate around the work.
Willard said the project is privately funded but "it will... impact so much of the community," and that the company plans to "run fiber to every resident and every business in Columbiana" over an estimated 8 to 12 months. He added, "The fiber is the bandwidth is basically unlimited, and the up and down rate is is just unbelievable."
The manager said the company will attempt to keep new lines on existing poles when possible and will use trenchless installation methods in many locations. He said city crews must mark locations for water, sewer, storm sewer and electric lines before construction and that the city has scheduled pre-construction coordination with its superintendents to reduce problems.
Willard acknowledged the city has limited formal authority over the private project but said the city attorney is "working on an agreement" to clarify expectations and minimize impacts. He noted communities elsewhere raised complaints about how crews restored streets after installation and said the city wants to avoid similar problems through collaboration and communication.
No formal council action was taken on the fiber installation during the meeting; Willard said staff and the city attorney are preparing an agreement and will coordinate with the company and utility crews as the project progresses. The council did not set a timeline for council review of any agreement.
City officials advised residents to watch for advertising on social media and for firm communications; Willard said he understood some residents had already received outreach about the service and that city staff had work to do before the crews arrived.
