Citizens Complain About Plan to Erect 136 New Utility Poles, and County Leaders Listen
A group of property owners in western Fayette County say they really need fiber optic internet service. But some are worried the phone company may harm their oak trees.
Last Thursday’s Commissioners Court meeting included an item on the agenda to consider a request from Guadalupe Valley Telephone Cooperative (GVTC) to install 136 utility poles in the County rights-of-way along several roads in the vicinity of Old Smithville Rd. and Old Lockhart Rd.
Fayette Electric Cooperative (FEC) serves the area with electricity and has utility poles in the vicinity. Pct. 3 Commissioner Harvey Berckenhoff said he spoke with officials at FEC and they would allow GVTC to attach lines to their poles for a small fee. However, GVTC wishes to install their own poles instead.
Two property owners who live in the vicinity spoke at the meeting.
“I’m not here on GVTC’s behalf,” said Ron Simons, one of the property owners. “They can make their own case for what is necessary and to accomplish the installation of fiber optic cable in order that those of us in this small service area have modern internet service. We’d all strongly prefer that that line be buried, but at least I’m being told by GVTC, for whatever reason, that’s not financially feasible.”
Simons compared the growth of fiber internet service to electrification of the rural areas in the last century.
“Internet is that important to rural customers,” he said. “It’s important for safety, culture, shopping, medicine, you name it. It’s just a critical infrastructure.”
Simons said he would rather have fiber internet without all the new utility poles. But he said he needs the service regardless of how it’s delivered.
Another property owner, David Freeman, opposed GVTC’s plan to install the utility poles. Freeman said there are many large oak trees in the path of the proposed poles.
“These trees are 100 to 300 years old, some of them, and almost three feet in diameter,” he said. “There are a bunch of them along that road. And they’re going to either destroy those trees, bulldoze them down, or cut them in such a haphazard way as to make them not only aesthetically, but probably unable to continue their lives.
“It’s a beautiful stretch of road,” he added. “We don’t want to see them destroy the beautiful oak trees when they can just as well put the line underground.”
Berckenhoff said FEC told him they would charge GVTC around $18 per pole to attach their lines. Berckenhoff questioned the economics of GVTC setting 136 new poles and maintaining them versus paying FEC $18 per pole. Berckenhoff said FEC told him that GVTC inquired about using their poles but then FEC never heard back from them.
Some of the area in question lies in Pct. 1 Commissioner Jason McBroom’s territory. Berckenhoff said he and McBroom plan to meet with representatives from GVTC along with Assistant County Attorney Blake Watson to find a solution to the matter. The Commissioners took no action on GVTC’s request.