When an opening is made in a street for the purpose of laying,
repairing or removing wires or conduits or erecting or removing distributing
or other poles, the portion of the street so opened shall be restored
by such company to a condition satisfactory to the Director of Public
Works, and shall be kept by such company in such condition for one
year thereafter; and if it is not so restored and maintained by such
company, such Director may cause the same to be done at the expense
of such company.
In laying, repairing or removing its wires or conduits, no such
company shall disturb or in any way interfere with the wires of any
other utility company or any gas or water pipes or sewers or pipes
connected therewith.
In case the City finds it necessary to construct or enlarge
sewers or other public works in streets or areas where conduits are
laid, which shall require changing the location of such conduits,
such changing shall be at the expense of the company owning the conduits,
which shall forthwith carry out the same.
Such company shall commence the work contemplated by any authority
granted to it within six months from the granting of the authority,
unless restrained by process of law, and shall continue the work with
reasonable diligence until suitable conduits have been laid in the
location designated in its application for authority, and duly granted
by the Mayor and City Council.
No such company shall remove its conduits unless permitted to
do so by the City Council.
Such company shall remove its conduits to other suitable locations
whenever ordered to do so by the City Council.
No permit shall be granted, or if granted shall be valid, to
disturb the surface of a street for any of the purposes mentioned
in this article until such company has executed an agreement in a
form satisfactory to and approved by the Mayor, provided:
A. Space for City wires; access for handling. In every underground conduit
constructed by such company, sufficient and necessary space shall
be reserved and maintained, free of charge, for the use of the fire,
police and other signal wires belonging to the City and used exclusively
for municipal purposes, and the Fire and Police Departments, by their
electrical superintendents, shall be allowed access to such conduits
at all times. Such departments shall be allowed facilities and privileges
in putting in or taking out wires equal in all respects to those of
such telephone company.
B. Indemnity against damages. Such company will indemnify and save harmless
the City against all damages, costs and expenses whatsoever to which
the City may be subject in consequence of the acts or neglect of such
company, its agents or servants, or in any manner arising from the
rights and privileges granted it by the City.
C. Bond. In addition to the agreement mentioned in this article, such
company shall, before a street is disturbed for the laying of its
wires or conduits, execute a bond with surety or sureties, to be approved
in writing by the Mayor, or in a penal sum of not less than $10,000,
conditioned to fulfill all its agreements with the City and its duties
under this article, and a new bond of like import may at any time
be required by the Mayor and Council, which new bond shall be a strengthening
bond unless the surety or sureties on former bonds are expressly released
from further liability by vote of the City Council.
D. Installation and removal of wires. The company will, as soon as a
conduit is constructed, remove thereto such wires as it is intended
to accommodate, and remove all wires from any conduit for which the
license to use has been revoked by the Mayor and Council.
E. Compliance with orders. The company will at once comply with any
changes in its conduits, manholes or poles that the Mayor and Council
may, after hearing duly appointed, order.
Any authority granted by the Mayor and City Council may, after
notice and hearing, be revoked and altered at any time without liability
on the part of the City therefor; but in case any location in any
street is revoked, a substitute location in some other street that
will, in the opinion of the Mayor and City Council, accommodate the
service shall be granted.