BETHEL – Residents and town officials from Newry to West Paris will have to wait a while before Adelphia Cable Communications holds up their end of a cable construction project.

That’s because Adelphia filed for reorganization on June 25, 2002, under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

At Monday night’s Board of Selectmen meeting in Bethel, officials extended Adelphia’s deadline for a complete system rebuild by eight months. Under the original Sept. 9, 2001, contract, the Bethel project was supposed to have been completed Tuesday.

The project represents five towns – Bethel, Greenwood, Newry, West Paris and Woodstock – and covers 81.26 miles of cable plant, according to Adelphia Government Relations Manager Shelley Winchenbach.

The project’s scope is to rebuild Bethel to a 750 Mhz system with two-way capability. Construction has yet to begin.

“The bankruptcy has had some impact on some of our ongoing business operations as it relates to the Bethel system,” Winchenbach said in an Aug. 26 letter to Bethel Town Manager Scott Cole. “As a result of the bankruptcy, our rebuild schedule was affected temporarily, adversely impacting the Bethel rebuild.”

Winchenbach asked Bethel to preferably grant Adelphia a 12-month extension for the construction project “to cover any unforeseen circumstances” so as not to impose on the town again.

“We anticipate that the company will emerge from bankruptcy next year, a healthy viable company,” she added.

Bethel selectmen, however, instead granted Adelphia an eight-month extension.

That, however, according to Winchenbach, means Adelphia will provide selectmen with a construction project status report at the end of the eight-month term. If the rebuild is not completed by then, Adelpia would seek another extension.

“We are willing to work with the town and hope the town understands Adelphia’s position,” she added.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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