PARMA, Ohio -- Wow indeed is what some residents in the southern section of Parma have been saying about the telecommunication company WOW! and its current build-out in the community.
“There were some early glitches on communications to the residents,” Mayor Tim DeGeeter said. “WOW! has responded based on council and administration complaints on giving better notice. Since then, they’ve been doing a much better job of addressing those complaints.
“The project manager has been better recently responding to these complaints. We have a lot of buried infrastructure and cables on the south side of the city, where the north side has telephone poles.”
Early on, DeGeeter said there was an issue with WOW! giving 24-hour notice or leaving door knockers about construction.
The city is also utilizing Quality Control Inspection Services (QCI) to monitor the project and ensure residents aren’t inconvenienced.
“QCI is handling complaints and making sure these folks are doing what they’re supposed to be doing -- restoring the areas as required,” DeGeeter said.
WOW!’s Video Service Authorization (VSA), which was granted by the Ohio Department of Commerce, permits the construction of a telecommunication system in the right-of-way (in the street and tree lawn area) and in utility easements (rear yards, side yards and front yards on the private property side of the public sidewalk) throughout the city.
This includes stringing wires on utility poles, as well as installing wires underground and equipment aboveground and underground.
“We’re very excited to bring our services to Parma,” WOW! Senior Director of Corporate Communications Debra Havins said. “We know some of this construction can be inconvenient for homeowners for a period of time.
“We do try our very best to make sure that we are returning everything to its normal condition and that we're working very quickly to make sure that we're not distracting folks for too long.”
Read more news from the Parma Sun Post.