Summit County outlines 'Summit Connects' public‑safety fiber route coming to Norton

Holly Miller, assistant director in the Summit County Department of Community and Economic Development, briefed the Norton City Council on Nov. 3 about the Summit Connects fiber project, saying the county is “about halfway through a 135 mile fiber route” that will link 31 communities at public‑safety points. She told the council crews will begin work in Norton next week on Cleveland/Massillon Road and that the current route “is merely a public safety project” and is not connecting residents or businesses at this time.

Miller said the county started construction about a year ago in the Silver Lake–Stow area and that initial delays pushed the Norton work later than originally planned. She identified the on‑site contractor as Fergus (subcontracted by Henkel’s and McCoy) and said crews will operate in marked vehicles and work within specified hours, explaining, “they have to be in marked vehicles. There's very specific times that they can work. It's 07:30 in the morning to 04:00 at night.”

She described route‑planning steps the county has taken, including pre‑construction and route‑review meetings with Norton administration and a project management firm, QCI, which Miller said will be on site to oversee contractors and rectify any issues promptly. Miller advised residents to call county contacts or the Summit Connects phone/email on posted signs if they see unmarked trucks or otherwise suspect non‑compliant activity.

Miller also said the county will host follow‑up meetings with Norton administration and Andrew Barry from the county executive’s office to discuss options for additional paid connection points at municipal facilities and to offer participating communities access to negotiated county contracts for software and licensing, including GIS services. She emphasized the purpose of the initial installation: “if we have an emergency and we have to shut the Internet down, it goes from Internet to intranet. So all of our public safety services can continue to talk to each other.”

The county official closed by inviting questions and providing contact information and asked council to direct residents with concerns to Summit Connects or to QCI for on‑the‑ground resolution. The council did not take formal action on the presentation, which was presented during the communications portion of the meeting.

The project’s next visible step in Norton will be field markings and locates ahead of Monday’s construction start; Miller said the markings are good for 10 days and will be re‑marked if needed.