"Small holes will be opened behind walkways to find existing utilities and install fiber conduit boxes." That line comes from the sample Utilities One work notice the Town posted for this fall's fiber installation. It is the most practical sentence in the whole fiber project. The holes, the utility-locate paint on the pavement and the boxes going in afterward all sit in the same narrow band of ground. Most homeowners mow it and water it as part of their front lawn. The Town calls it public property.
In a town with no sidewalks, the Town of Columbine Valley says its right of way "generally extends approximately 3 feet beyond the edge of the gutter pan into what may appear to be a resident's yard." The new fiber network is being built in that strip, and so is everything that comes after it.
Where the Crews Have Been So Far
Intrepid Fiber Networks is building the network, and Utilities One is its installation contractor. Other subcontractors may also be involved. The Town says work will move generally from north to south, and that it depends on the weather. The permit for Phase I was issued on Sept. 23, 2026. A utility locator started re-marking water, sewer and gas lines on Oct. 1. Drill-and-vac crews then started moving street by street.
| Town update | Streets named |
|---|---|
| Oct. 7 | Watson Lane, Watson Circle |
| Oct. 8 | Watson Lane, Lilhaven Lane |
| Oct. 9 | Watson Lane, Lake Avenue, Bowles Avenue |
| Oct. 12 | Middlefield Road, Niblick Lane, Brookhaven Lane, Brookhaven Trail |
| Oct. 13 | Brookhaven Lane, Brookhaven Trail, Brookhaven Place |
| Oct. 14 | Brookhaven Lane, Brookhaven Trail, Brookhaven Drive, Middlefield Road |
By the time this post publishes, crews will likely have moved past the streets listed in the Oct. 14 update. The Town posts a rolling log on its fiber installation page. The contractors have committed to door hangers and notices on affected houses 24 to 48 hours before work starts, door knocking as needed, and a head supervisor in the field every day.
The Town's Fall 2026 newsletter makes this project the first of its fourth-quarter public works priorities. The stated goal is to monitor the installation with all stakeholders, a list that names residents, installers, engineers and water rights holders, so that disruption stays low.
Three Feet Past the Gutter Pan
Every yard along the route will get a pullbox in the right of way. That is the connection point where a home can be tied into the fiber "if the resident chooses." The Town has published samples of the two types being used in Columbine Valley.
| Pullbox type | Size |
|---|---|
| Flowerpot | 9 × 9 inches |
| Handhole | 13 × 24 inches |
You can't pick which one you get. According to the Town, the type depends on the location. Utilities One's work notice says the crew will try to place boxes between properties. If that can't be done, residents will be contacted before a box goes in.
The Town's right-of-way page says residents are welcome to landscape it, with some conditions. Plantings can't block sightlines. A 3-foot clear radius has to be kept around fire hydrants. Landscaping in the right of way "is done at the homeowner's discretion and may be disturbed or removed if Town or utility work is required." Trees there are also under Town oversight, even when the homeowner is the one caring for them.
Two Statements About Damage
This fall, two documents about the same strip of ground describe damage in different terms.
"Any property damage will be restored to its previous condition." Utilities One work notice, October 2026
"Homeowners who install invisible dog fences, irrigation lines, or other underground features within the right-of-way should be aware that the Town and utility providers are not responsible for damage to these items during routine or emergency work." Town of Columbine Valley, right-of-way page
The Town's page says the same thing about mailboxes, decorative columns, entry features and privately installed lighting in the right of way. It lists utility work among the activities it does not take responsibility for. Its suggestion for underground features is to keep a record of where they are and to mark them clearly when you can. The 811 marking that comes before drilling covers public utilities like water, sewer and gas. Utilities One's construction timeline doesn't mention privately owned sprinkler lines or pet fences.
For questions about a specific yard, the Town gives three contacts:
- Installation questions or damage concerns go to Utilities One Operation Program Manager Thomas Bullock at [email protected].
- General project questions go to [email protected].
- Urgent needs go to Town Hall at 303-795-1434, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.
This is general information about published Town and contractor documents, not legal advice. How either statement applies to your property is a question for the Town, the contractor, or your own attorney or insurer.
What Happens in the Strip, in Order
Utilities One's construction timeline lays out the steps without giving how long each one takes:
- Neighborhood surveys and site checks, then flags or paint marking existing utilities, then door hangers or door knocks.
- 811 utility marking, followed by potholing to confirm where buried lines are.
- Horizontal directional drilling to push conduit underground.
- Connecting the conduit and setting the handholes and flowerpots.
- Installing and splicing the fiber.
- Cleanup, which means collecting materials, removing debris, securing cables, sweeping and a final inspection. Landscaping restoration comes after that.
Most of the fiber is pushed through underground, so the surface disruption is mostly the potholes and the pullbox sites. When sod or seed goes back in, residents often get care instructions, and those mostly come down to watering. The last step in each neighborhood is soda blasting to remove the locate paint from the roadway and sidewalks. Until that happens, the colored marks stay on the pavement, showing where existing utilities were located ahead of the work. The Town's update log, not the paint, is the record of which streets crews are working on.
The same strip will be busy with other things soon. The Town's fall leaf pickup is Nov. 2 and Nov. 9, with up to 10 bags each day set beside the trash bin. The newsletter also lists snow and ice operations and new street name signs as fourth-quarter work.
A Second Fiber Owner in the Same Ground
Intrepid isn't the only private company with fiber in Columbine Valley's right of way. In 2015, the Town signed a cable franchise agreement with Qwest Broadband Services, which did business as CenturyLink. That company later became Lumen Technologies. On Feb. 2, 2026, AT&T announced that it had closed its $5.75 billion purchase of substantially all of Lumen's Mass Markets fiber business. Lumen's own release lists Quantum Fiber among the consumer assets sold.
According to the Town's September packet, Lumen has agreed to sell substantially all of its residential fiber assets serving Columbine Valley to Forged Fiber 37, LLC, which the Town describes as a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T. Once that transaction is complete, Forged Fiber 37 would own and operate the fiber in the Town's right of way, and Lumen would keep its non-fiber telecommunications infrastructure in town. The 2015 agreement requires Town approval before franchise rights can be transferred. Instead of taking over the old cable franchise, the new owner asked for a fresh agreement modeled on the Fiber License Agreement the Town had already adopted with Intrepid. Town staff agreed, saying the newer form "reflects the Town's current standards" for private fiber in the public right of way.
The agreement was on the agenda for the July Board of Trustees meeting but was pulled so the applicant could make revisions. It came back as Resolution #12-2026 in the Sept. 15, 2026 board packet. As of mid-October, the Town's agendas and minutes page had not posted September minutes showing how the board voted. If the agreement is approved and the transfer is completed, two private fiber systems, one newly built and one changing hands, would operate under Town license agreements in the same 3-foot band.
When the Pullbox Becomes a Connection
A pullbox in the yard doesn't mean internet service. Once the network is finished, residents can contract with an internet service provider. Intrepid is contracting with T-Mobile, and the Town says other providers may join later. As of mid-October 2026, T-Mobile's Littleton fiber page listed three tiers. Fiber 300 was $35 a month with AutoPay or $45 without. Fiber 1 Gig was $50 with AutoPay or $60 without. Fiber 2 Gig was $70 with AutoPay or $80 without. Taxes and fees are extra. T-Mobile says availability and pricing can vary by address. Intrepid's Columbine Valley map sorts areas into Planned Construction, Engineering & Permitting, Under Construction and Service Available. Construction questions can go to 1-844-380-8090.
Some buyers ask about internet options, and some homeowners are about to have a new box in the front yard. Either way, Rule Properties is glad to talk through what this fall's work means for your particular address and how to describe it accurately when the time comes. Connect with Ben & Erin to get a tailored market valuation.