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Council asks Google Fiber to limit road cuts, seeks contract coordination
Summary
River Heights councilmembers and staff discussed a proposed Google Fiber license agreement; public works and the city engineer urged directional boring or trenching outside asphalt on newer streets to protect road investments and requested further coordination and inspection controls.
River Heights — Councilmembers discussed the city's prospective license agreement with Google Fiber during the Feb. 17 meeting, focusing on protecting recently reconstructed streets from new trenching.
Councilmember Lance Pitcher said Attorney Jon Jenkins reviewed the license agreement and suggested a few minor wording edits; the attorney indicated the changes did not alter substantive terms. Pitcher said Google had not yet reviewed the attorney’s edits.
Public Works Director Clayten Nelson and Engineer Craig Rasmussen warned that road cuts could damage recently finished asphalt and urged the council to require directional boring where possible or trenching outside of asphalt on newer streets. Nelson recommended the city quantify expected revenue from Google relative to potential road repair costs; Rasmussen noted some older roads already show cracking and could disintegrate faster if trenched through pavement.
Pitcher said Google representatives told him the company is willing to bore and to coordinate work with other city projects to reduce repeated cuts; he also reported that in nearby Smithfield rapid work by Google limited time available for municipal inspections. Councilmembers said they wanted additional discussions with Google to ensure adequate inspection windows and protections for the city’s pavement investments. Resident Kevin Winn suggested Google coordinate with planned gas-line replacement projects to minimize additional disruptions.
No formal vote was taken; councilmembers asked staff to continue negotiations with Google and to include protective specifications (directional boring, avoidance of new asphalt cuts where possible, inspection rights) in any final license or franchise agreement.
