Irmo Faces Heartburn Over New Fiber Optic Cable Plan

Irmo Faces Heartburn Over New Fiber Optic Cable Plan

The quaint town of Irmo seems to have a bit of a dilemma on its hands lately. On Tuesday, the town council gave a provisional thumbs up to a request from Spectrum Southeast to dig into Veterans Park to install some shiny new fiber optic cables. These cables are aimed at boosting internet service for the Bickley Station neighborhood, but as you can imagine, this is causing quite a stir among town officials.

Mayor’s Concerns Rise to the Surface

During the discussion, Mayor Bill Danielson did not hold back about his feelings on the matter. He mentioned that the very thought of digging into the ground sparks some serious “heartburn” for him. “Any time I hear about an easement with somebody digging in the ground, I get heartburn, I get agita and I get headaches,” said Danielson. And honestly, who can blame him? The past has shown that such projects often bring more problems than solutions.

Think about it: digging for cables can lead to flooded streets, broken water mains, and even gas leaks that have forced residents to evacuate. Seriously, just last year, a fiber project in Columbia hit a snag when it caused multiple gas leaks, with one leak requiring neighbors to grab their valuables and skedaddle out of Dodge for safety. Talk about a tense situation!

Past Slip-Ups Make Everyone Anxious

Then there’s the town of Lexington, where utility work got so out of hand that not only did workers tear up people’s yards without fixing them, but they also knocked out someone’s phone line for an entire week. To top it all off, the stories of workers making themselves at home by urinating in bushes are less than flattering.

You can see why Mayor Danielson is feeling cautious. He asked city staff, “What is our park going to look like when these people are done digging it up? What is the road going to look like when people are driving home on Palmetto Wood Parkway over steel plates for six months?” Can you imagine trying to navigate that mess every single day? Not fun!

Hoping for Better Coordination

Thankfully, Town Administrator Courtney Dennis chimed in with some positive news. He explained that the Spectrum easement is planned to be a little further from the sidewalk than usual—12 feet—so hopefully, it’ll result in fewer mishaps when it comes to existing buried utilities. “They’re a little bit less likely to hit them,” Dennis said. It sounds like they’re trying to play it smart this time around.

However, the struggle with crowded underground spaces is real. These right-of-ways weren’t exactly designed to be jam-packed with all sorts of utilities trying to coexist. “They weren’t meant to be crammed with 15 different utilities,” Dennis added, a sentiment we can all relate to when trying to find space in a crowded pantry.

Some Requirements Could Help

Now, here’s some additional news that might ease worries a bit. While Irmo can’t require a bond from the contractor taking on this project, town attorney Jake Moore mentioned there are ways to put some protections in place. They could add requirements that specify the contractor must return the area to its original condition and fix any damaged utilities quickly.

As the council rubber-stamped the request “subject to modifications,” they planned to hash out more details in a workshop on September 3, followed by a final vote on September 17. The mayor, however, still can’t help but think about the town’s residents. “You know we’re going to get bombarded with emails,” Danielson lamented, probably bracing for a flood of community feedback.

As the dust begins to settle on this decision, one thing’s for sure: the folks in Irmo will be keeping a close eye on how this fiber optic project unfolds. Whether it leads to faster internet or just more headaches remains to be seen, but for now, the town is in the waiting game.