NCUCC MEETING MINUTES
November 13, 2001
Hosted by:  Dominion Power
Location:  Dominion Power Office
Roanoke Rapids, NC
 
1.                  Call to Order – meeting called to order at 10:00 a.m. by Keith Reid.  Keith thanked Dominion Power for hosting the meeting and for providing the meeting location.
 
2.                  Old Business
a.                  Treasurer’s Report – George Glenn reported the account balance for the NCUCC as of October 1, 2001 is $1,522.25.  There are no outstanding expenses or checks. George has agreed to be a central point of collection and dispersing of funds associated with the NC/SC Conference
 
b.                  Next Meeting - the next meeting on January 8, 2002 will be hosted by CP&L in Raleigh, NC. 
 
c.                  Meeting Locations for 2002
 
January – CP&L - Raleigh
March – PWC – Fayetteville
May – Joint NC/SC – Ashville
July – City of Charlotte – Charlotte
September – Cablevision  - Southern Pines
November – Dominion Power - Roanoke Rapids
 
d.                  Committee Reports – The committees that are putting on the NC/SC Joint Utility in May made the following recommendations and received a general consensus from the group:
 
1. Location will be Ashville, NC at the Sun Spree Resort Room rates are $89.00/night
2. Vendor’s tables will be $350.00 for an 8’ table and 1/8 of an add in the program directory.
3. Full page ads will be $100.00.                                                               
4. Break Sponsorship price will vary however, there will be recognition of the sponsor at the break and in the program
5. Activities for the conference included dinner at the hotel or possibly dinner at Biltmore with an optional evening tour, Golf, and white water rafting
6.Program - see attached draft (Taylor Ranch to be substituted with other activity)
 
3.                  New Business
 
 
a.                  NCDOT – Aydren informed the group about the NCDOT’s plans to increase funding for resurfacing in the coming season. Also, Aydren informed us the TIP is available on the web and he asked that we use these books for programming and planning future construction projects.                                                                               
 
The NCDOT is starting to use the design build project concept. Two of these projects are I77 just north of I85 in Charlotte and I64 in Knightdale. NCDOT will give the project to a design firm which includes buying rights of way and coordinating utility relocations.  South Carolina has been using this concept for years with mixed reviews.  Aydren also stated the NCDOT will be doing at least as much road construction as last year and that the highway budget has not been impacted by the Federal budget cuts.  Aydren also mentioned there is a lot of information on the NCDOT website (www.doh.dot.state.nc.us) which includes TIPS, tentative lettings, electronic forms and NCDOT directory and other listings.
b.                 One Call Center –
 
Effective 1/1/2002 there will be a 12% rate increase from $0.25 to $0.28 per ticket. In an effort to reduce the costs to the one call members:
The One Call Center has upgraded software to allow for more precise location of utilities.
 
To quote directly as follows: {the wording as passed by the board of directors of North Carolina One-Call is... "the life of a ticket is being changed from 10 working days to 15 working days.  This change is made to reduce the cost of services to our members."}
 
Total Tickets for Month of October 109,134
                        Transmissions for Month of October 700,844
 
Total Tickets year to date up to October 983,252
                        Transmissions year to date up to October 6,423,357
 
                         
DESTROYED MARKINGS:
 
Effective August 1st, 2001
When a caller to North Carolina One Call Center calls and says that the locate marks have been destroyed or can no longer be seen, we "transmit" a ticket, using a  NEW ticket number, to all utilities for the requested locate area and advise the caller that "the utilities will be notified immediately." The header of the transmission will indicate RUSH and MARKS HAVE BEEN DESTROYED. The remarks section will indicate "AREA HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY LOCATED BUT THE MARKS DESTROYED". 
 
c.                  Power Companies – There was still much discussion on the NJUNS program and how it is in place and can be utilized to help with utility pole coordination.  The National Joint Utilities Notification system, NJUNS, is a national organization of member utilities formed for the purpose of improving the coordination of joint ventures.  Our system offers utility companies a method of obtaining up-to-date information on a variety of shared concerns, including Pole Transfers, Joint Trenching & Permits for New Attachments to Poles. See www.NJUNS.com.
 
d.                  Gas Companies –
 
e.                  Telecommunication companies – New Sprint Representative to attend David Harlow.
 
 
f.                    CATV – Randy Connell w/Time Warner Cable expressed concerns that he is having with joint trench operations in the Charlotte area. The main problems are with the developers, builders, and future service issues.
 
 
g.                  Contractors – Mark Price with Barbara H. Mulkey Engineering spoke about new role of Utility Coordinator with state “Design Build Projects”.  Mark will be representing both the state and the construction company on the I-77 widening project in Charlotte. All coordination will be handled by Mark instead of a state representative. If anyone has any questions about the role of a private Utility Coordinator Mark can be reached at 704-537-7300, or by E-Mail at mprice@bhme.com.  
 
 
h.                  Railroads – no attendance
i.                    Locate companies – no attendance
j.                    Local UCC’s – New UCC in Cumberland Co.
 
4.                  Program – “Electric Competition Comes to Virginia”
 
The program included: a brief history of power companies structure, new de-regulation laws, what went wrong in California with de-regulation, key differences with how the power companies in Virginia vs. California, the education that was provided to the consumers, pilot programs to ensure a smooth transition, insight into the legislative oversight committee, an overview of the processes and systems that had to be worked to allow competition, and much more. To see more on how Va. is dealing with de-regulation contact: www.yesvachoice.com or www.dom.com or call 1877YES2004.
 
 
5.                  Meeting adjourned at 12:00
 
6.                  Lunch – lunch provided by Dominion Power