After a subcontractor for internet provider Brightspeed caused damage in August while installing fiber-optic cable in Wright City, impacting neighboring properties, a company representative attended the Sept. 24 Board of Aldermen meeting to address officials’ and residents’ concerns.

Rod Mischke, governmental affairs and public policy director with Brightspeed, said he appreciated the opportunity to attend the meeting and to talk beforehand with Mayor Michelle Heiliger.

City Clerk Abbie Ogborn said at the Aug. 13 Board of Aldermen meeting that earlier that week, city hall was contacted about fiber-optic work going on in the Huntington Acres subdivision “where the company had come in, they had bored, they hit a fiber line, a sprinkler system and a water main in that subdivision.”

At that time, Ogborn added, the city had still not been able to determine who the subcontractor was that caused the issue. She said she assumed this was because the subcontractor was not licensed.

Mischke said Sept. 24 that Brightspeed’s main contractor for the fiber installation work is Direct Line, and that it was a subcontractor of Direct Line that was directly responsible for the damage.

“We recognize that portions of the project did not go the way that they should have. A previous subcontractor working on this build created problems for residents, and the city had difficulty even determining who those crews were working for and who to contact when problems arose. For that, we apologize. That is not the way we do business in any of our cities. Our contractors are held to a rigorous set of standards that they did not meet this time,” he said.

“When we come into a community to make a major infrastructure investment, our goal is to be a good partner while we’re doing it. Residents should know who’s working in their neighborhoods, city officials should know who to call when there’s a problem, and construction concerns should not disappear into a chain of contractors and subcontractors, which is what I gather happened here.”

One thing that should have happened early in the process in Wright City, but did not happen consistently, Mischke said, was resident notification. Going forward, Direct Line will place door-hangers on residences whose properties may be impacted by fiber installation work. These door-hangers will include a QR code linking to information about the work, who the contractor is working for, and contact information to report concerns or issues, he said.

In response to a question from Alderman Don Andrews, Mischke said the subcontractor responsible for the damage in August has been fired.

Asked by Aldermen Karey Owens whether Brightspeed had reached out to the residents whose properties were affected, Mischke said Brightspeed was attempting to do so.

“One of the problems has been that Direct Line hasn’t been allowed back in the city to finish the restoration work,” he said. “I think they had tried to come back a couple of times to restore some damage and were asked to leave.”

Andrews said he wanted “to make sure that there is an understanding” of why Direct Line was asked to leave the city.

“I completely understand,” said Mischke. “I’ve been apprised of everything that happened. There was no excuse for it, and that contractor has been removed.”

Asked by Mayor Michelle Heiliger whether Direct Line’s new subcontractor had applied for city permits, Mischke said he didn’t think Direct Line had hired a replacement yet.

Heiliger noted that obtaining permits is required by city ordinance for any work within Wright City.

“Any contractor, whether they’re putting on a roof or digging fiber, has to have a contractor’s permit with the city, and this is exactly why. Because if things get damaged, if people’s yards are damaged, sewer lines are broken, whatever happens, then the city knows who it is and we can help the residents resolve the issue,” she said.

“In some cases, those contractors are required to put up a bond, so if they disappear, right, and don’t correct what happened, then we take that bond money and we make those repairs from the city, so that’s why we require those things,” Heiliger added.

Mischke said Brightspeed would be happy to arrange regular meetings with city officials to let them know where their contractors will be working.

Heiliger and Andrews thanked Mischke for coming to the meeting to address the previous issues with Brightspeed's fiber project.

“We just want to make sure that going forward we’ve checked all the boxes, done everything we need to do, so that in the event we have a problem, then we can help our residents,” said Heiliger.

“Brightspeed values its relationship with Wright City,” said Mischke. “We want to complete this build properly and leave Wright City with a fiber network that will serve its residents and businesses for many years to come.”