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Blackfoot tells Drummond council fiber build is behind schedule; offers one-year repair window
Summary
Blackfoot Communications told the Town of Drummond on Oct. 15 that weather and reduced crews have delayed a local fiber build; the company said crews will work through winter when possible and the town will have one year after project completion to report repairs.
J.B. Ray, representing Blackfoot Communications, told the Town of Drummond Council on Oct. 15 that the company is behind schedule on a planned fiber-optic build in and around Drummond because of weather and a drop in crew size.
Ray said the number of employees working on the project decreased "from 28 down to 11" and that crews will continue work through the winter as conditions allow, pausing when ground freezes and resuming in spring. He told council members that Blackfoot will provide a one-year period from project completion during which the town can identify areas needing repair.
The council expressed concern about construction impacts inside town limits, including pavement and property disturbances. Mayor Gail Leeper and council members requested a checklist the town can maintain to identify locations requiring repair. Ray said Blackfoot "isn't going anywhere" and asked the town to flag problem areas so Blackfoot or its contractors can fix them.
Council members also raised the town's cost exposure for duplicate locate tickets ordered ahead of delayed work. Ray said he would review ways to reduce unnecessary locate requests so the town is not charged for multiple tickets when work is postponed.
The council did not take formal action at the meeting. Next steps: the town will keep a running checklist of repairs and follow up with Blackfoot on locate-ticket mitigation and a project timeline update.
