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Town approves amendment to Ripple encroachment agreement to extend fiber work to additional streets
Summary
Aberdeen Town Board voted to amend an existing encroachment agreement with Ripple to add several streets for fiber installation, while board members stressed contractor accountability after reports of crews damaging yards in another town.
The Aberdeen Town Board on Feb. 10 voted to approve an amendment to the Ripple RightWay encroachment agreement that expands the utility company’s permission to install fiber along additional town streets.
Board members said the amendment adds roughly six streets to the existing encroachment area and emphasized the town will require clear contractor contact information and expectations of compliance before crews work in town. "We expect full compliance … and that we have a contact that's not the person in the street," a board member said during discussion.
Members cited reports from nearby communities of contractors tearing up yards and streets; the board said those reports motivated stricter oversight language and a demand for advance notice before crews work. Staff told the board Ripple uses subcontractors and that the town will hold the company to performance standards and an identified point of contact.
A board member moved to approve the amendment, a second was recorded, and the board answered "all in favor"; the motion carried. No roll-call vote was read into the record.
The amendment is limited to the encroachment terms on public rights-of-way; staff said any damage complaints will be handled through the town’s standard complaint and repair process and that the town expects to communicate expectations to Ripple in writing before crews begin work.
The board closed the agenda item and moved on to other business.
