Auburn Residents Object to Fiber-Optic Installation Damage

November 20, 2025 by Ann Wishart

Auburn Township residents have expressed concern about how the underground installation of fiber-optic cable may affect the appearance of their front yards, Trustee Mike Troyan said Nov. 17.

“Our residents’ lawns are being torn up,” he said, adding that many property owners did not realize the magnitude of the project before it started.

Residents are also having trouble getting answers from the Spectrum technicians doing the work, he said.

“Nobody speaks English,” Troyan said.

The installation process involves drilling horizontal holes deep in the ground and inserting the cable, which Troyan indicated is about 3-4 inches in diameter.

Some heavy equipment is used along the berm, causing some damage, he said.

Matthew Neiheisel, strategic account specialist with Spectrum, said a restoration crew will follow up with property owners and repair any damage caused by the equipment.

Regarding the communication problem, Neiheisel said the drilling crew is from “down south” and that Spectrum contracted with the least expensive company with the necessary qualifications for the job.

“We don’t want to see someone’s lawn get screwed up, but if that’s the only hiccup, that’s good,” he said.

The cable is being installed between six and eight feet deep, Neiheisel said.

When a resident at the meeting expressed concern about her driveway being damaged, Neiheisel assured her the company will repair or replace it later.

“This office has been pretty well inundated with calls,” said Trustee P.J. Cavanagh, noting a 10-foot easement beyond the road right-of-way allows for installation of electric, gas and telephone lines.

“This is a utility and it’s getting buried,” he said.

Neiheisel added that calls to the administration building or to officials should be referred to him, and he will bring concerns to the drilling crew.

In other business, Cavanagh said the speed study of Munn Road from the county line to Bell Road has resulted in Munn being posted with a 50 mph speed limit, down from the default 55 mph along unposted roads.

The decision was made by the Ohio Department of Transportation and Geauga County officials, and trustees must send a letter accepting the change by Nov. 20, he said.

Trustees also voted to award a revised bid for the reconstruction of the handicapped ramp and repairs to Auburn Township Town Hall to G.W. Construction for $23,000.

The original bid was for $20,300, but the contractor had not correctly calculated the slope of the ramp, which must be Americans with Disabilities Act compliant, Cavanagh said.

The revised bid is still $500 less than the closest competitor, he said.