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Selectboard presses Lamoille FiberNet reps on unburied lines and Dig Safe limits
Summary
Representatives from Fidium Fiber and Consolidated Communications told the Selectboard that distribution lines have been run along roads without consistent burial and that Dig Safe currently identifies primary lines only, complicating excavation safety for secondary drops.
Lisa Birmingham of Fidium Fiber and Scott Brooks of Consolidated Communications appeared to address the board about ongoing fiber work in Eden. They reported that the main distribution lines were installed but that remaining work includes drops to individual residences; the selectboard expressed concern that some lines and drops have been left unburied and exposed to vehicle traffic.
Board members discussed mitigation steps and noted a practical constraint: Dig Safe now identifies primary lines but not secondary lines, so residents and contractors may not receive alerts for buried secondary utilities before excavation. The selectboard asked the providers to coordinate mitigation and to return with plans to improve burial, marking, or alternative protections for secondary drops.
