TriTech Wireless seeks right‑of‑way permits for county broadband; commissioners press for clearer surveys and limits

TriTech Wireless representatives presented their right‑of‑way plans for a countywide broadband rollout and described a mix of plowing and directional drilling they plan to use on rural dirt roads. County planning staff and commissioners pressed the company to provide clearer surveys and to avoid ad‑hoc changes in the field that could encroach on private property.

John Feeney, Holmes County planner, said many of TriTech’s plans were based on property-appraiser aerials and that where work approached private drives or tight dirt‑road right‑of‑way, engineers should show actual survey lines or approved right‑of‑way maps. “If this is where the survey line is, we’re going to be two or five feet… then we can give them permission for that,” Feeney said, asking for more precise plans for areas close to structures and culverts.

TriTech representatives described a conservative approach for sensitive locations — preferring to bore under the road where feasible — and said they were coordinating with district foremen and foremen of the road department to flag problematic crossings. The company said it would bore culverts and avoid plowing in locations identified as wetland or where previous FEMA work left rock or other sensitive material.

Commissioners and road staff expressed two recurring concerns: (1) that plan imagery sometimes did not align with parcel lines and parcel maps, leading to confusion; and (2) that the current county right‑of‑way permit process does not require detailed surveys in all cases, creating a gap between what staff review and what happens in the field. John (planner) said the county could not require a survey for every location because of cost but recommended surveys or clearer locates in places where plans showed work crossing private property or tight easements.

Clint, a TriTech representative, described operational safeguards and field coordination, saying the company had begun pre‑meeting sessions with district foremen. TriTech acknowledged past issues in other counties where plowing encountered unmarked utilities and said it would bore in culvert crossings and work with landowners and county foremen to minimize damage.

Staff and commissioners agreed to continue permitting but asked TriTech to supply the best available locational information and to accept stronger conditional language in permits (e.g., that field adjustments require prior approval or that the company will be liable for road damage if it occurs outside permitted areas). The planning staff emphasized they would tighten permit conditions in future LDR updates to reduce ambiguity.

Next steps: county staff will request updated plans and stronger locational evidence for problem segments; TriTech will continue coordination with foremen, provide clarifying imagery where possible, and accept conditional permit language.