AUSTINTOWN — Officials are taking steps to protect the township’s public and private property from contractors who do not take enough care.

Over the past year or so, Austintown has dealt with multiple incidents of property damage, including to utility lines, by contractors hired by large companies making upgrades or installing new infrastructure like fiber optic cables.

Township Administrator Mark D’Apolito said these works are necessary and even beneficial to the community, but the way some contractors do the work can be a nuisance and they need to be responsible for their mistakes and be respectful to the property where they do the work.

“We expect that any utility companies coming into the area will meet the county standards and we expect them to restore our roadways and residents’ properties to the same condition they were in prior to the work, and in a timely manner,” said Township Administrator Mark D’Apolito

A measure passed recently by Austintown trustees will impose new insurance obligations and require contractors to repair any damage caused to public or private property.

D’Apolito said that, at the moment, Austintown is focused in particular on two locations where AT&T has done work.

“One incident was in the park, and we were left with the bill and the (Mahoning County) Prosecutor’s office is helping us with that,” he said. “The second was at Rosemont Avenue and Potomac Avenue, where a utility line was damaged when they were upgrading the poles.”

In February, trustees also approved a motion to work with the prosecutor’s office to pursue restitution from AT&T and other involved parties for damage to a storm pipe caused on March 1, 2023, at Rosemont and Potomac.

D’Apolito said the damage was caused while Custom Utilicom, a subcontractor for AT&T, was laying down fiber optic cables in the township.

D’Apolito said utility installers need to be more aware and cautious.

“The fiber guys are notoriously bad because they do everything with a drill bit so they don’t even know when they hit something,” he said.

In another incident, he said, First Energy drove a utility pole through the stormwater line on Fitch Boulevard, creating a giant sinkhole that left the pole swaying in the wind. D’Apolito said Austintown forced the subcontractor to come make the necessary repairs.