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• Town of Troy cites Comcast cable
• Hudson Booster outdoor egg hunt still on

By Diane Nelson, RiverTown Staff

It's something most consumers only dream about but at last Thursday's meeting the Troy Town Board got to stick it to the cable guy.

Comcast, one of the largest cable providers, according to its Web site, will be fined more than $10,000.

The citation stems from an incident in October when Comcast subcontractors were spotted installing underground communication cable along the west side of Radio Road from County MM to Kilkarney Hills Golf Course and along the east side of Radio Road to Hwy. 35.

Comcast and its subcontractors failed to obtain a permit application for the utility work.

A town representative contacted the subcontractors in November advising that they needed a permit to keep working. Comcast did not respond. They were contacted again about the necessary permit in December but it was not until last month that Comcast complied and filed for the permit.

Town Engineer Rob Jones of Cedar Corp. said that " under the utility ordinance each day that work is done without a permit constitutes a separate violation. The citation ordinance specifies that utility violations shall be no less than $100 per violation and no more than $250 per violation."

In an e-mail read by Chairperson Ray Knapp from town attorney Gwen Kuchevar, she recommended using the "high-end of the citation ordinance."

The board decided the citation would be issued from the time the town representative made contact with Comcast, not its subcontractors.

Using Kuchevar's recommendation, the board approved the permit and will issue the citation based on $250 per day over 43 days of non-compliance, bringing the Comcast citation to a hefty $10,750.

Members of the Hudson Booster Club said on Friday night that the outdoor egg hunt set for Saturday is still being held, despite the recent snowy weather.

The hunt will still be held at 1 p.m. at Prospect Park.