Bellbrook City Manager Mark Schlagheck said AT&T plans to put eight or nine of its Video Ready Access Devices in the city. VRADs are the 4-foot-high utility boxes that relay signals to nearby homes.
Schlagheck said AT&T will install the VRADs on existing utility easements, many near phone boxes, and will apply for a zoning permit for each one. The first permit request has been filed, with the box slated to go on Marcia Drive near Eckworth in the city’s south plat.
While some of AT&T’s early VRAD installations in other communities came with little notice and angered property owners, Schlagheck said the company now is working with people to make sure the boxes are placed well and are screened with vegetation.
Sugarcreek Twp. Administrator Barry Tiffany said he was not aware of a timeline with AT&T yet, but he said he didn’t think the company would have to file for any permits to begin work in the township.
“When they move, they move quickly,” Tiffany said. “It could be next week or it could be much later. When word gets out that they’re coming, Time Warner will blitz the area with mailers. Once there’s competition, they try to lock new customers in for two years.”
Schlagheck and Bellbrook Mayor Mary Graves said they were happy that residents would have another option. Schlagheck also said the city is working with AT&T to make sure Bellbrook’s Channel 5 community programming would be available to UVerse customers.
“This will provide cable service through a different medium,” said Schlagheck, who says he has AT&T UVerse in his home. “It is in a number of communities around us. It is a very good service, very cost-friendly, and it will be another option for our residents.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2278 or jkelley@DaytonDailyNews.com.
About the Author
