At Thursday’s Grayson County Fiscal Court meeting, Judge-Executive Kevin Henderson, while asking for and receiving approval to have County Attorney Jeremy Logsdon research possible litigation, said he and magistrates have received numerous complaints about the damage cable/internet provider Kinetic by Windstream is causing when installing lines around the county.
“There’s something I want to bring up.” Henderson told magistrates. “I know Brian (Ashley) has gotten complaints on it because he’s called me about it. We’ve had a lot of people call in our area … I want someone to make a motion to give Jeremy permission start looking at litigation against Windstream.”
Henderson noted that he has attempted numerous times to contact Windstream about the issue but has had no success in speaking with anyone or receiving a call back.
“I haven’t had any luck with anybody calling (from Windstream) calling me back. I mean, you call and you call and you call, so the only thing you can do is take legal action against them,” the judge said.
Henderson, along with several magistrates, noted the major damage caused by haphazard work to both private and public property, especially along Anneta Road (Hwy 259).
“I know 50 people have called about the installation that’s going on around the county. They are tearing up the right-of-ways and some of the roadways. 259 south in particular, they went through there and installed some line and I mean people’s yards look like bombs went off. They just throw straw down and I think they think they’re done. Some of the ditches are sunken in. I mean it’s a teetotal mess. I’ve noticed it’s like that in different parts of the county.”
Logsdon noted that citizens have approached him about the problem, as well.
“The guy that I met with, I’d been hearing it, but I actually had one of the residents out there on Anneta Road come up and talk about how the yard at the church was tore up, and his yard. They usually hire a contractor to do this … (the) lowest bidder, but I don’t know what’s happened.”
Henderson responded: “From my understanding, the lowest bidder got it (the contract, and) the lowest bidder did not do what they were supposed to do, and evidently I think they’re out now.”
Logsdon, who said he’s already started a list of complainants, told the court he’s started researching possible actions the county can take to remedy the situation. He will present those findings to magistrates at the next Fiscal Court meeting on May 18.
Windstream was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
