ALLO Communications publicly apologized April 4 for widespread issues caused by a subcontractor it hired to help build a fiber network in Milford.
On March 29, more than 500 residents were without power after North Central Services allegedly cut a power line that city officials said was clearly marked.
ALLO representatives spoke at the Milford City Council meeting April 4, addressing concerns and listening to what the council and the public had to say about the power outage, sewer backups, water main breaks, a broken sprinkler system and more, which the company said were largely caused by the subcontractor.
NCS has since been dismissed from the project.
“Two of our core values are to be exceptional and be hassle-free. We have not done a good job of living that out in Milford to this point,” said Dave Miller, ALLO’s director of ethical engagement and a former Milford resident. “This is not who ALLO is. This is not how we are.”
Doug Yoder, a Milford resident who lives on South B Street, said water would not even drip from his faucets after a water line was broken during digging and dirt clogged his pipes.
Yoder said he spends about $300 every 18 months to replace the water filters in his home. He replaced them two months ago and now must do so again – paying another $300 more than a year sooner than he planned.
Greg Kreutzer lives on Timberline Circle and said his 6-month-old underground sprinkler system was dug up, damaged and reburied without being fixed while NCS was in the process of laying fiber. He said the new sod in his yard was dug up and is now a mud hole.
“That's a lot of money that's been hacked up and now buried,” Kreutzer said, adding that the sprinkler system alone cost him more than $8,000.
Other residents spoke about similar occurrences, sharing stories about sewage backing up into their homes after sewer lines were hit and expressing concerns that repairs in their yards were not made correctly or completely.
“We knew going into this that there was going to be some disruption with installation,” Mayor Patrick Kelley said. “Anytime you come into the right-of-way space, whether that's our water main, whether that's anything else, there's going to be some disruption, but we didn't anticipate some of the things that have been taking place relative to a lot of the water main breaks and an electrical issue. That was a real scary situation for a lot.”
Miller said ALLO wanted to speak with the public, write down their concerns and work with each resident whose property was damaged to resolve the problems or reimburse them for repairs they’ve already paid for, if needed.
ALLO representatives and Zak King of Bauer Underground, the general contractor for the project, took down names, addresses and descriptions of issues to begin the process of resolution.
“We want to be here, on behalf of the entire company, to publicly apologize for the inconvenience that we've caused to some of you and to also let you know we're here to take responsibility and to work with you to make things right and resolve that,” Miller said. “We know that in coming to a new community, if we get started off on the wrong foot, folks aren't going to want to be our customers and be on our fiber network.
“Our goal really is to be a good steward, to be a good community partner with the city, with the entire community, with all of you as residents and as businesses…This has been unacceptable to us.”
Ed Jarrett, senior manager of plant operations at ALLO, said the small colored flags around town are there to help ALLO’s contractors understand where existing utilities are, such as water and electrical lines. Residents should not move those flags. They will be removed when the project is finished.
Jarrett said the fiber network should be complete within the next two weeks, though that doesn’t mean the company is finished repairing damage.
Residents who were unable to attend the meeting may direct concerns to Jon McHenry, ALLO field engineer, at (402) 540-0112 or jon.mchenry@allofiber.com, or Zak King with Bauer Underground at (402) 821-8116 or zak@bauerunderground.com.
