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Lawton council directs staff to address hazardous fiber-optic excavations in Eisenhower Village
Summary
City council held an emergency meeting after residents reported deep unbored holes and damaged water lines during fiber-optic installation. Council directed the city manager to work with contractors, pursue legal remedies if necessary, and explore contractor permitting and bonding requirements.
Lawton Mayor Hankins Booker and the City Council convened an emergency meeting to address a reported public-safety problem: contractors installing fiber-optic cable left multiple unprotected holes — one reportedly as deep as 11 feet — and damaged water infrastructure in the Eisenhower Village neighborhood.
Planning Director Christy James told council that planning has logged more than 200 complaints about fiber work over two years and had received 21 complaints about AT&T work in the last three weeks. She said inspectors verify responsible parties and that the city maintains a complaint spreadsheet to track responses. Public-utilities inspector Heath Renton was identified as the first responder who confirms which company is responsible at each site.
Council members said the situation had escalated. Councilman Warren moved that the council direct the city manager to have staff work on immediate solutions with contractors and look at “any other means” to safeguard citizens and city property, including legal action if necessary. The motion passed on roll call with the council voting in favor. The council also directed staff to examine permit and bonding requirements for boring contractors to increase accountability.
City staff said AT&T — the company identified as performing the work in the neighborhood — told the city it had fired the subcontractor responsible for the worst sites, planned to replace that contractor, and committed to repair work within two weeks, including filling holes, providing barricades, and installing temporary covers where work was incomplete. City staff said sod and topsoil shortages following recent flooding slowed immediate repairs.
Why this matters: Officials said the deep, unbarricaded holes and some instances of damaged water meters create an immediate risk to children and the public. Council instructed staff to pursue short-term protections while working to change longer-term contractor oversight via permitting and bonding requirements. Councilmembers also requested staff consideration of legal remedies if contractors or franchise holders do not meet corrective timelines.
Council action and next steps: The council approved the motion directing the city manager to pursue solutions and, if necessary, legal action. Staff plans to document the remaining unsafe excavations, continue on-site inspections, coordinate with AT&T and other utilities, and draft potential permitting/bonding language for future council consideration. Staff also will pursue faster remediation where public-safety risk remains.
Local voices: Planning Director Christy James and Public Utilities Inspector Heath Renton briefed council about inspection and complaint-handling procedures. Councilman Warren urged using bonding and permitting to hold contractors accountable. City Manager Jason (first name used in meeting) represented staff follow-up and operational oversight.
Ending: The council characterized the vote as an urgent step to protect residents in Eisenhower Village and to strengthen the city’s tools to prevent similar incidents in other neighborhoods.
