The Orland Park village board voted Friday to order Astound, Abovenet and other internet providers to halt all fiber-optic construction after a surge December 8 knocked out power for more than seven hours to some 300 residents in the village’s Catalina subdivision.
At a specially called board meeting Friday night, trustees voted 5-0 with two trustees absent to halt future construction and withhold issuing new permits until the following issues are addressed:
- Unrepaired property damage
- Strikes to existing utilities
- Open holes, potholes or sidewalks left unrestored
- Work performed outside of permitted hours, and
- Subcontractors working without visible identification.
Mayor Jim Dodge said the village received numerous complaints about unsafe, incomplete and disruptive work tied to fiber-installation projects.
“Everyone wants a better internet but it needs to be done the right way,” Dodge said. “If a company is digging in front of your home, they should knock on your door, provide their contact information and report anything they damage – no excuses.”
Village Clerk Mary Ryan Norwell, who lives in the Catalina subdivision, said power was knocked out in her home for more than eight hours on December 8.
“It was 20 degrees that day and it was snowing,” she said. “My husband is disabled and he was freezing. The company never notified us what had happened.”