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Residents press for better notice on fiber work; town says DOT encroachment notices often come late
Summary
A resident urged the council for clearer notifications about fiber‑optic and utility work in neighborhoods. Town staff said NCDOT does not routinely notify the town before encroachment work in state right‑of‑way, and that the town prohibits vertical pedestals on town streets; Kinetic and Windstream installation approaches were discussed.
A resident raised concerns at the Sept. 2 Indian Trail council meeting about communications and property impacts from fiber‑optic installations and other utility work in neighborhoods.
Gail Mercurio asked that the town be more transparent with notices about fiber and utility construction, saying residents need consistent information about whether streets are town‑owned or NCDOT‑owned and how installation will affect lawns, driveways and curbs. She specifically asked whether neighborhoods where the town owns streets received Kinetic’s 2‑foot vertical pedestal installations or “flowerpot” style buried pedestals.
Town engineer Todd Hunsinger told the council the town typically does not receive advanced notice from NCDOT on encroachment agreements and that staff often learn about work after it has begun; he said staff had started scheduling monthly coordination meetings with DOT to improve communications. Hunsinger noted the town’s policy does not permit vertical pedestals along town streets and that Kinetic indicated, in at least one Homeowners Association area, it planned to bury (flush‑mount) the pedestals. He also said Windstream’s work had not yet started within town limits as to streets.
An HOA president for Brookstone Village told the council Kinetic agreed to bury pedestal units in that neighborhood, but that she wished the company had communicated the plan in advance. Council members and staff urged residents to report specific encroachments so staff can follow up with DOT or the utility company; staff said they will continue DOT coordination efforts and pass along complaints when they are reported.
