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Roosevelt County approves easement for Yucca Telecom to run fiber to Hampton Farms
Summary
The Roosevelt County Commission approved an easement allowing Yucca Telecom to install fiber across county fairgrounds to Hampton Farms, after debate about route choice, prior reclamation complaints and assurances that the company must restore disturbed surfaces.
Roosevelt County commissioners voted Nov. 18 to approve an easement that allows Yucca Telecom to run fiber‑optic cable across the county fairgrounds to reach Hampton Farms.
County counsel presented the agreement as a standard easement granting ingress and egress for installation, operation, maintenance and eventual removal of fiber facilities, and said the grantee must restore surfaces to their prior condition and carry a hold‑harmless clause. "If the asphalt gets dug up or anything like that, everything's gonna be brought back to the normal," counsel said during the discussion.
Representatives for Hampton Farms told the commission they have been waiting six months for service and urged the board to move forward because the route Yucca chose is the shortest option and avoids additional buried utilities. "We've been on this for 6 months ... our harvest season is almost over," a presenter said, pressing the commission to approve the easement so Hampton Farms can collect operational data and run point‑of‑sale services reliably.
Several commissioners raised past concerns that a prior Yucca easement left ground unreclaimed after construction, producing weeds and uneven surfaces. One commissioner described a past excavation where heavy equipment was used and said reclamation was not previously enforced; another commissioner noted the current contract requires resurfacing to specifications and inspection to ensure defects are corrected. Counsel confirmed the agreement requires the grantee to restore disturbed property and that the county may direct removal of facilities if needed.
Commissioners also asked about protections for utilities that could be hit during installation; counsel said grantees must call 811 to locate lines and are responsible for repairing any utilities they damage. On a motion and second, the board approved the easement by voice vote and directed the county manager to continue coordinating site details and additional routing requests with Yucca Telecom.
The vote carried and the county indicated it will monitor construction and reclamation closely to ensure damaged surfaces are returned to county specifications.
