As Google Fiber continues to be installed across the city, residents on Loraine Street in Brookhaven Heights are the latest to face disruption.
While Google Fiber’s plans were announced in 2015, it wasn’t until January 2023 when Brookhaven City Council unanimously passed an ordinance to establish an agreement for the installation of network facilities in the public right-of-way.
The city has over 10,000 residential properties, and the utility company has completed about 30% of the underground cable installation.
Nearly 100 residents this year have complained via Brookhaven Connect, the city’s mechanism for residents to report non-emergency problems like potholes, code violations or sidewalk issues.
On Nov. 21, Google Fiber hit a waterline while digging in the right of way on Loraine Street. Property owner Brent Mlott, who is upset that his landscaping was dug up, said, “Nobody wants Google Fiber. Nobody.”
“I put new sod out there this summer. They’re out there trampling it down, ripping it up, digging into it. It’s frustrating that nobody has the option of opting out,” Mlott said.
Lauren Abraham, who lives across the street, lost water for several hours, followed by days of low water pressure. Neither Abraham nor Mlott contacted the city of Brookhaven to report an issue.
Since then, an irrigation line and another water line have been hit on Standard Drive.
A letter penned by Brookhaven Mayor John Park was delivered to Loraine Street residents in the midst of the mess, but the timing was coincidental according to the city. The letter said the Google Fiber installation is the first citywide utility project in decades.
“It will provide a more robust internet service as the lines will be less susceptible to trees and storms when compared to aerial installations,” Park wrote. “The city will continue to monitor the Google Fiber installation and encourages you to visit the city’s website to review the weekly installation schedule provided by Google Fiber.”
At the District 2 meeting led by Councilmember Jennifer Owens in August, residents said they have stopped Google Fiber crews from digging into tree roots and a granite curb.
“By working from home, I’m stopping a lot of damage from being done,” a woman said. “Why isn’t the city of Brookhaven out there with some oversight?”
Right of way is the first 10 to 20 feet of a property as measured from the curb. It’s owned by the city, and typically where utilities are located.
“We don’t have the resources to watch every company that’s working in the right of way,” City Manager Christian Sigman said in August. “The best bet is to call us when you see a problem.”
A construction schedule, map, and ways to report issues can be found on the city’s website.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
