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Resident raises safety and drainage concerns after cable company places equipment in newly created drainage ditch
Summary
A resident said a cable-company electrical cabinet was installed in a drainage ditch created during 29th Street reconstruction, risking basement flooding and damage; the city engineer and council agreed to follow up with the company and invited the resident to meet on site.
A Sioux City resident told the council a cable company placed a meter and electrical cabinet in the middle of a drainage ditch that neighbors had installed to keep water out of basements during a street-reconstruction project.
"They put a big electrical apparatus right in the middle of our drainage ditch," said Keith Barrett, who identified himself as living at 1304 20 Ninth Street and representing neighbors affected by 29th Street reconstruction. Barrett said the device was installed by Sparklight’s subcontractor and that the placement interfered with a drainage solution neighbors had created after repeated basement flooding.
City Engineer Gordon Farr responded that the device is a cable box and that SmartLight infrastructure requires power; Farr said city staff had provided an address for the equipment and that relocation requests should be routed to the utility company. "We asked them to move when we were winding the street ... we don't dictate where they put it," Farr said, adding the city still has some authority within the right-of-way during a project.
Barrett said the cabinet sits in an area that channels water during heavy rain and snowmelt and that its location risked damage to the device and to neighbors’ homes. He invited council members to inspect the site and asked the city to press the company to relocate the equipment to a safer spot, such as across from the old box or higher up the street.
Councilmembers and staff agreed to follow up. Farr said staff had already contacted the company and suggested the resident share contact information so staff could arrange an on-site inspection and request relocation. "We'll get your phone number and then Julie and Gordon will come," a councilmember said.
Why it matters: Utilities placed in drainage lines can obstruct water flow, potentially increasing flood risk to nearby properties and creating safety and maintenance concerns for the utility equipment.
Council-level action: City staff committed to contacting the utility contractor and to arrange a site visit with the resident and council representatives to determine whether the equipment can be relocated outside the drainage path.
What’s next: The resident was asked to provide contact information to city staff; council and the city engineer will follow up with the utility contractor to seek relocation or other mitigation.
