NCUCC MEETING MINUTES
July 08, 2003 – 10:00 AM
New Bern, NC
Sponsor: NCNG
· Call to Order
Chairperson Paulette Warren welcomed everyone to the meeting. Paulette at this time turned the meeting over to the new chairperson Bill Deal with the City of Charlotte. Group introductions were made.
* Old Business
a. Treasures Report- George Glenn reported the current NCUCC account balance is $ 634.20. There are no outstanding checks or invoices.
b. Next Meeting – September 09, 2003 – City of Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 10:00 AM
Last Meeting for 2003 will be November 12, 2003 – Dominion, Rapids, NC 10:00 AM
c. Committee Reports
Aydren Flowers states that someone will come back with a recommendation about pole tags. Has there been any more discussion on the use of orange paint?
George Glenn reports that a subcommittee has address the National Paint Colors. This committee has been dis-band. We are waiting for the Best Practices to come out. All utilities will have an opportunity to express their opinion. Aydren suggested that the locators could put some tip of code when marking with orange paint.
Lola Ausby reported on the NC/SCUCC 2004 Joint Seminar. This event will be held May 19, 2004 thru May 21, 2004. The committee has reserved the Hilton Riverside in Wilmington, NC. We are making plans to secure the riverboat Henrietta III for a cruise. We need a $300.00 deposit to secure the riverboat. Bill Deal asked for a motion to write a check for $300.00. The motion was made and approved. David West will take care of getting the deposit to the Henrietta III.
* New Business
a. NC DOT - Aydren Flowers has the TIP books. He and David West will help you with these books if anyone wants them. TIP books are a very valuable tool. Companies planning future work involving road projects. DOT will provide you with their plans. We will work with you and save your company time and money. Aydren introduced Buddy Murr and Tom Parker. Buddy and Tom will be working with the fiber optic cables and traffic signals.
This involves working with intelligent devices, cameras, monitoring traffic, remote traffic and weather stations. There’s a project where we have anti icing on bridges in some parts of the state. Also the technology at weigh stations. Tom’s group designed the project for the weigh station on I-40 / 85 West near Hillsborough, NC. The trucks do not have to pull into the weigh station. They are weighed in motion. Mike Braswell puts in new equipment for traffic signals. The fiber optic is the primary mode of communication. Some of the older systems used copper. The fiber optic saves money.
Buddy has six projects that are planned in the next nine to ten months. New Port and Elizabeth City are two of the projects. It can be from three signals to fifteen signals. After the systems are installed we have to work closely with construction to maintain them to prevent damage.
Glenn Flowers would like to know what kind of depth do you start with? How are we going to contact you?
Buddy states we would like to maintain 30” if possible. Other wire goes back 400 ft and some over 1000 ft, depending on intersection. The phone number is usually included with the encroachment. If you are excavating in these intersections you will need DOT to locate existing lines.
Keith Reid tells us that Fayetteville PWC has to maintain the cameras. They have to take a bucket truck to make repairs and adjustments. Fayetteville PWC has problems with wood poles. Not the metal ones.
George Glenn will start giving numbers for DOT intersection with fiber optic cables and equipment. This information can also be discussed at the local UCC meetings.
David West reports on some minor changes when requesting an encroachment. In the past there was a blanket for plowed in cable. We have not required a separate encroachment. The installation for plowed in encroachment has been approved. Please identify the fiber optic and agreed minimum 24” depth. All encroachment new special provision request that you give environmental impact. You will need traffic signal information. All Traffic signals must be located. The telephone number will be provided as soon as possible. Directional bores are limited to 2” greater than the pipe or casing that you are installing. If you have to go larger you must include a signed Registered Professional Engineer statement that there will be damage done.
Bill Deal states that getting a Professional Engineer to sign that there will be no damaged done would be hard to do. You can’t warranty that nothing will happen.
Shelia Talton tells us that the new requirements increase cost for Progress Energy.
David discussed the Clear Recovery Zone. DOT will require poles in the Clear Recovery area to break away poles. It has not been decided how this will be handled. David will be sending out questionnaires when they send out encroachments.
c. NC One Call Center – Wendy Bullins reports that the NC OneCall Center has a video library. You can go to the web site at NCOCC.org and click on site map then click on video library. Fill out the form on line and we will send you the video. The NC One Call Center will lone you these videos for two weeks. Wendy reported that YTD locate request are down 1% when compared 2003 over 2002 and transmissions are down 9.4%. YTD 41% of the locate request taken by the NC One-Call Center were entered by Remote Ticket Entry. If there is a company here that’s interested in remote ticket entry please get with me after the meeting. There is no charge for web ticket entry. The Lee County UCC is a new UCC. The Kick-Off meeting was held July 01,2003 and was hosted by PSNC Energy in Sanford, NC. The meeting went very well and they did decide to have an active UCC in Lee County. Hank Baker with PSNC Energy is the Chairperson. Out of 100 counties across the state of North Carolina there are now 74 counties involved with the local UCC. I have 29 counties. A problem that has been brought up in some of the local UCC’s is homeowners. Florida has come up with a manual for homeowners. I would like for the State UCC to help get information to the homeowners.
There was committee formed to Develope a way to educate / notify homeowners. The people that agreed to help Wendy on this committee are Woody Meadows, Yvonne Ellis and Teresa VonCannon. Wendy will give us a report t the September meeting in Charlotte.
Paulette Warren informs us that Time Warner cable puts an insert in with their bill. The yellow memo reads “Call Before You Dig”.
Woody Meadows tells us in Wilmington there is a TV presentation as will as a brochure in the bill.
Wendy reports that the 2nd Quarter Board meeting will be held at Jefferson Landing in West Jefferson, NC. The Board Meeting will be held on Friday July 25, 2003 beginning at 8:00 AM. Those of you that wish to play golf should be there on Thursday July 24. Tee time is 12:00. You would need to be there at 11:30 AM. Box lunches will be provided. There will be a canoe trip on the New River if you do not play golf. Please call Christy at 336-855-5760 or e-mail her at Christy@ncocc.org.
George Glenn encourages everyone to get involved in a local UCC if you are not already involved. This is a great opportunity to help prevent damages in your area.
Power Companies - Paulette Warren reports that Progress Energy is in the process of identifying overhead pole attachments. If you are on Progress Energy’s poles we need to know who you are. We have identification safety concerns. There also concern about the safety and integrity of the plant attached to the pole.
Lola Ausby informs us that effective July 01,2003 that the State of Virginia now has one new state wide number for anyone excavating in Virginia. The State of Virginia was split into two parts. The new Number is 1-800-552-7001.
e. Gas Companies - Glenn Flowers with PSNC Energy reports that our company plans to replace the cast iron pipe in the Raleigh, Durham and Ashville area. This will involve a lot of fiber optic cable. Sandra and I work with four counties. Our main area is Wake County. PSNC brought locating back in house two years ago. Our damages have decreased by 50%. We do a lot of safety meetings.
Bill Deal asked Glenn if PSNC makes their drawings available to other companies? Since
9-11 everyone has concerns with security.
Glenn tells us that we don’t know how all four regions handle these requests. In the Raleigh area we will send people to the Eastern Region Engineering office. We do a background check. Sometimes people send us their maps and we overlay our maps with theirs. We don’t just give information away. It depends on the request.
Yvonne Ellis with NCNG thanks Sammy for all the help that he has given them. NCNG is looking forward to the merger with Piedmont Natural Gas. We are involved with the local UCC. We also do safety meetings. This is a large benefit for our area. We will also provide a door prize.
f. Telecommunications – No report
g. Catv - Tom Jenkins with Time Warner Cable tells us that his company is involved with joint trenching in his area.
h. Contractors - Wayne Grindstaff with Utility Technical Services informs us that his company is involved with locator training. Wayne will come to your office or where ever you designate and give a class on locating existing utilities. They also sale and repair equipment.
Jon Tanner with STS informs us that as of May 27, 2003 his company has the contract through out the State of North Carolina to locate Sprint Telecommunication lines. Local as well as residential. Their dispatch office is in Greensboro. That number is 1-866-237-6422. Jon’s number is 1-252-767-6098. If you have a damage to a Sprint line you have to call the Sprint office to report it. STS has hired some new people since they came to our state.
Jon would like to know what a survey ticket is and how do you respond?
George Glenn explains that there is no law that covers a survey request. The Coalition Committee has addressed this for a law at their meeting. The NC One Call Center pasted a policy that states we will take design locate request. The utility owners has 10 days to respond. How they respond is up to the utility owner.
I. Railroads – No Report
k. Local UCCs – Ricky Temple was present to represent Wake County. Raleigh has an average of 17 members that attended the meeting each month. The meeting is held at 600 W.Cabarrus St in Raleigh at PSNC Energys Operation Center. We have an emergency and after hours phone list that we keep updating for the contractors, municipalities locators or anyone that might need it. The Companies that attend keep each other informed about large projects that will come up in the future. We have a committee that goes to your office, your job site or where ever you request to give safety presentations. This committee is made up with representatives from Bellsouth. Time Warner Cable, CLS, PSNC Energy, City of Raleigh and Wendy Bullins with the NC One Call Center. Wendy supports us with the biscuits for these meetings. If someone asks a good question, they get a small gift. These meetings has helped to prevent damages in wake County. We are planning our annual Breakfast October 09, 2003.
l. Lola Ausby represented Northampton/Halifax UCC. We have about 10 people to attend. We meet on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month. We have developed a phone list to share with people that need it.
Teresa VonCannon gave a report on the Cabarrus/Rowan UCC.We alternate between the Chamber of Commerce and Piedmont Natural gas for our meetings. We have an emergency and after hours list that is available for whoever needs it. We have had an increase in attendance. We held our Breakfast in May 2003. We have had problems with locates. We are trying to solve this problem.
Kay Dentico represents Craven County UCC. Their attendance dropped down to three or four. The last meeting they had 30 people to attend. They are in the process of updating the emergency and after hours phone list. We are very thankful for Wendy and all that she does for us.
Joe Caster reports that Wilson County UCC has been very low in attendance. At the one of the meetings I was the only person there. Wendy suggested we join Rocky Mount UCC. With Wendy’s help we have come up with a lot of new ideas.
Robert Sutton reported for the Lower Cape Fear UCC. We have a concern about some of the contractors that attend due to third party damages. We have a Breakfast in the Spring and a Bar B Que in the Fall.
Woody Meadows from Wilmington express concern about landscapers. We are trying to get landscapers involved in the UCC meetings. They don’t think they do damages. Wilmington past an ordinance a few years ago that a company would be find up to $4000.00 for cutting a gas line if they did not have a One Call ticket. Due to this our damages are down.
David Jackson represents the Forysth County UCC. We are continuing to reach out to contractors. We need to go back to the utility people and have them impress on their contractors to attend the local UCCs. All utilities need to be spotted if you are working within the tolerance zone. You could add this information on the encroachment permits. We have also talked with DOT. Good luck with DOT.
Lola Ausby tells us that Allen Grey wanted to remind every one of the NC Coalition meeting that is held at Peidmont Natural Gas in Greensboro once a month. This group has been going over the dig laws for the State of NC. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Program – Keith Newman with eastern NC Natural Gas gave a presentation on natural gas and the building of the pipeline. This came about in 1998 when the NC voters passed a Bond fund. Apec applied for and received funding to build a pipline system that will serve counties that are unserved . Keith gave us the information on where they buy natural gas and how it is transported crossed the state. He showed some pictures of the regulator stations and the farm taps.
Bill Deal suggests we bring to the meeting a positive presentation. If our boss’s should ask us where we are going, we could justify this meeting.
Meeting Adjourned. Bill thanked NCNG for having us and for the food that was provided through out the meeting.
Respectfully submitted by
Sandra Johnson