CENTERVILLE — UTOPIA is finally putting fiber in the ground again, but residents aren’t going to be able to take full advantage of it yet.

UTOPIA trucks have started working in Centerville this week, putting in hub and connector points that will help bring the long-planned fiber optic network to public institutions in the city.

Though this will also lay the groundwork for bringing the network to residents, the current phase of construction is covered by grant money that only involves government institutions. Construction on residential connections won’t begin until sometime this summer.

“Even under the stimulus construction alone, a substantial amount of work will be done,” said Centerville City Assistant Manager Blaine Lutz.

After the central hub and lesser connection points (known as “cabinets”) are put in, crews will begin connecting various city institutions. City hall and the post office will be among those connected, as well as the monitoring equipment on various wells located throughout the city.

Currently, that task is being done by wireless sensors, which according to Lutz aren’t reliable and take a significant amount of money and time to maintain.

“Fiber would be much more reliable,” he said. “There will be some savings.”

Fiber optic lines will also be connecting the city’s traffic lights. A complete map of the lines planned for the initial phase of construction is available online at www.centervilleut.net.

The second phase of construction, which will be aimed at residents and is likely to begin this summer, will go through the Utah Infrastructure Agency (UIA).

The UIA, which Centerville agreed to be a part of this past summer, is a board of UTOPIA-involved cities that will oversee UTOPIA construction and the distribution of funds.

Before the summer construction begins, residents should expect to see an information and advertising push explaining the different companies offering services on the UTOPIA network and seeking those wishing to sign up for the services (though UTOPIA and the UIA maintain the network, they offer no services. Outside companies, such as XMission, use the network for their services).

Placing the advertising before the construction will determine whether or not there’s enough demand to justify the expense of laying in the network in a given area.

This is a change from the company’s previous business model, and one that those involved hope will lead to more success for the network.

“I’ve been very impressed with the work that they’ve done,” said Centerville City Council member Larry Wright, who had been opposed to the city’s UTOPIA participation in 2008 because of the earlier business model they were using.

“The fact is that the council approved UTOPIA a long time ago,” he continued. “Rather than fight it as if it had never been approved, my philosophy is to figure out how to make it work.”

jwardell@davisclipper.com