BILLINGS — Earlier this summer, TDS Fiber was installing optic fibers underground in a Billings neighborhood. According to a neighbor, TDS destroyed the sprinkler system during the installation.
Two months later, the hot sun has taken a toll on the grass and tress in the neighborhood, leaving a miniature park brown and dull. But, for nearby resident Scott Snyder, the fight to repair his local environment is nowhere near over.
See the contrast between hydrated backyards compared to the grass of the miniature park below:
"I guess I am a nature lover," Synder said Tuesday. "I mean they're gorgeous trees, and they're just dying."
Synder has lived at his two-story family home in the Olympic Park subdivision south of Monad Road for over 30 years.
Synder said for a typical year, the small park directly beyond his backyard would be a vibrant green with healthy trees. But this summer, the sprinklers haven't been working, and now the park's ecosystem is dead.
"It's just been on and on, and on. I mean, I don't know if we're ever going to get a sprinkler system back here or not," said Snyder.
In early July, Snyder reached out to the Billings City Council and the Billings Public Parks and Recreation department about the broken sprinkler system. Snyder said community resources told him that the company, TDS, was responsible for repairing the damages.
Snyder said the city should be responsible for repairing the sprinkler system that they own.
"I mean, it wouldn't be hard to get somebody in here to fix it. I know it wouldn't," he said. "If they're not held accountable in some regard, they don't care."
MTN reached out to a representative with TDS to confirm if the company was responsible for the damages, and if so, what the company's police is regarding damaged property while installing fiber optics. TDS manager of communications, Mark Schaaf, sent MTN a statement:
"A subcontractor working on TDS’ project to bring all-fiber, high-speed internet to Billings recently met with the Billings Parks and Recreation Department regarding construction-related issues at a local park. In coordination with the department, the irrigation system has been repaired and restoration efforts in the park are underway. We understand neighbors’ concerns and, as with all TDS projects, addressing areas impacted by construction is a high priority. We appreciate residents’ patience and look forward to continuing to work together with local officials as our project proceeds."
-Mark Schaff
Synder's isn't the only Billings resident to have complained about property damages following a fiber optics installation by TDS.
In October of 2023, residents from the Billings Heights expressed frustrations after TDS installed fiber optics on Cortez Avenue.
"I was left with a mess in my yard and possibly a broken sprinkler line... I won't know until I dig it out myself," said Kristi Miller, a Billings Heights resident in 2023.
Synder is hopeful change comes to his neighborhood soon, before the winter air dries up the environment even further.
"My overall goal is to see the sprinkler system running," he said. "Nobody's really too concerned with getting this fixed."
