Minutes of Maryland/DC Damage Prevention Meeting
March 23, 2010
Miss Utility Call Center
Hanover, MD 21076
I. Call To Order and Introduction:
Wayne Gilmer (Utiliquest) called the regular monthly meeting to order at 9:35 am.
Introductions were made.
The minutes of February 23, 2010 were approved.
II. Safety Item:
Wayne Gilmer’s monthly safety topic covered tailgaters and aggressive drivers.
III. 2010 Trade Show Schedule:
Keri Banks (MGH) stated that an email would be sent this summer asking for
volunteers for the fall trade shows. She thanked everyone for covering the booth
shifts this spring.
IV. Dig Smart/Locator Achievement Awards:
Mark Mark Hamrick (Verizon) gave the following update:
- Northern Pipeline won the Dig Smart Award for MD and Parsons Corporation won for
DC
- 52 Dig Smart nominations were received which was the most ever
- B. Frank Joy, Iacoboni Site Specialists and Northern Pipeline were the
recipients of the Dig Smart Excellence Award which recognizes companies that
have won more than 3 times
- Volunteers are needed for setup and breakdown at Kahler Hall
- Door prizes are needed and companies will be recognized for their donations during the PowerPoint presentation
V. Damage Prevention Presentations/Safety Events:
Wayne Gilmer gave a brief update on the damage prevention presentation for Gray
& Son. Wayne, Jack Sullivan (BGE) and representatives from Verizon attended the
presentation. Lenny Corbin (Gray & Son) thanked the Damage Prevention Committee
for their presentation.
Wayne also said Miss Utility was invited to participate in
the Walter Reed Medical Center Health & Safety Fair on May 20th in
in Washington, DC.
VI. 2010 Greater Chesapeake Damage Prevention Training Conference:
Matt Ruddo gave the following update:
- Conference will be held October 20-22, 2010 at the Clarion Resort Fontainebleau Hotel in Ocean City, MD
- Golf outing & welcome reception in exhibit hall is scheduled on October 20th the day before breakout sessions begin
- The fall 2009 pricing will remain the same for last year’s attendees that book their package between April 1-30, 2010
VII. Title XII Steering Committee:
Tom (BGE) & Matt Ruddo gave the following update:
- MML & MACO were successful in getting the marking fees back in Senate Bill 911 and House Bill 1290
- MML & MACO were also successful in getting storms drains excluded as an underground facility
- Jim Barron (Ronkin Construction), Walter Gainer (W. F. Wilson & Sons) and Felix Dialoiso (LAI Construction) spoke on behalf of the excavating community during the public hearings
There was a general discussion about the difficult economic times and how that affected the legislators decisions during the Senate/House hearings.
VIII. MD/DC Subscribers Committee Meeting:
Tom Baldwin said DC WASA would be the host the next meeting on March 25th at their office which is located at 301 Bryant Street NW Washington, D.C. 20001.
IX. FTTP/FIOS Progress Report:
Mark Hamrick gave the following FTTP trench footage projections:
| |
AApril |
May |
| Anne Arundel |
15,000 |
1,000 |
| Baltimore |
12,000 |
7,000 |
| Charles |
38,000 |
6,000 |
| Howard |
9,000 |
0 |
| Harford |
109,000 |
65,000 |
| Montgomery |
180,000 |
82,000 |
| Prince George’s |
48,000 |
17,000 |
| Washington DC |
100 |
8,000 |
Tom Baldwin asked Mark Hamrick if it would be possible to get the projections for the year to assist everyone with their locating efforts. Mark stated he would see if he could gain access to the numbers.
Open Discussion:
Mark Hamrick stated that Verizon lines continue to be damaged in Washington DC and the impact on customer service is a very serious concern. He stated that Verizon will continue to encourage the scheduling of damage prevention training through the MD/DC Damage Prevention team. Verizon is also encouraging all excavators they come in contact with to utilize the MD/DC damage prevention resources and he would like to ask the other Subscriber members to do the same.
John Berrettini (Accurate Infrastructure Data, Inc.) said his company provides subsurface utility engineering (SUE) services during the planning and design phase of a project. There was a general discussion about the types of marks and paint used when identifying utility lines during the SUE process. Scott Brown (Washington Gas) expressed concerns with type of paint John’s company may use when marking gas lines. John said they use different colored paint such as pink to minimize confusion.
Dennis Lescalleet (Pleasants Construction) expressed concerns on a job site in which the warning tape was placed under a line instead of top of it. Scott Brown stated that warning tape is typically only found during open trench installations and should be placed on top of a line. Scott also spoke about marking ball technology that is being used in certain parts of Virginia to assist with the locating effort.
Dylan Tonkin (American Infrastructure) asked if anyone had any recommendations on the type of locating devices his company should use on their jobsites. Several in attendance recommended a handful of companies and Scott Brown suggested Dylan contact Staking University because they are a very knowledgeable resource.
Scott Brown stated that the gas industry as a whole has a damage-per-thousand locate ratio of 1.6 which is down from 1.89 from the previous year. He said Washington Gas’ ratio is 1.5 down from 1.7 the previous year and he thanked Utiliquest for their efforts.
Robert Davis (Unibar) stated that he is new to this group and is here to learn. He said his company offers a wide array of products and services for the utility owner and excavating communities.
Mark Hamrick said Miss Utility of West Virginia is looking for individuals to participate in their damage prevention council/committee meetings. He said to contact Tom Taylor at 304-345-3595 for anyone that had an interest.
Upcoming Trade Shows:
The following tradeshows are schedule for 2010:
| Show name: |
|
Builder Mart |
| Date: |
|
March 24, 2010 |
| City, State: |
|
Timonium, MD |
| Place: |
|
Maryland State Fairgrounds |
| Website: |
|
http://www.homebuilders.org/page/55597/ |
|
| Show name: |
|
Harford Live! Home & Garden Show |
| Date: |
|
April 24-25, 2010 |
| City, State: |
|
Aberdeen, MD |
| Place: |
|
Ripken Stadium |
| Website: |
|
http://www.harfordlive.com/homeshow_home.html |
|
| Show name: |
|
Maryland Municipal League |
| Date: |
|
June 27-29, 2010 |
| City, State: |
|
Ocean City, MD |
| Place: |
|
Ocean City Convention Center |
| Website: |
|
http://www.mdmunicipal.org/cv09/cvgeneralinfo.cfm |
|
| Show name: |
|
Maryland Association of Counties |
| Date: |
|
August 18-21, 2010 |
| City, State: |
|
Ocean City, MD |
| Place: |
|
Roland Powell Convention Center |
| Website: |
|
http://www.mdcounties.org//events/events.cfm |
|
| Show name: |
|
Chesapeake Safety Conference |
| Date: |
|
September 14, 2010 |
| City, State: |
|
Laurel, MD |
| Place: |
|
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab |
| Website: |
|
http://www.chesapeakeasse.org/meetings.php |
|
Show name: |
|
Suburban Maryland Fall Home Show |
| Date: |
|
September 11-12, 2010 |
| City, State: |
|
Germantown, MD |
| Place: |
|
Discovery Sports Center at Maryland Soccerplex |
| Website: |
|
http://www.acshomeshow.com/HGExpo/DSF.html |
|
| Show name: |
|
Harford Live! Home & Garden Show |
| Date: |
|
September 25-26, 2010 |
| City, State: |
|
Aberdeen, MD |
| Place: |
|
Ripken Stadium |
| Website: |
|
http://www.harfordlive.com |
|
| Show name: |
|
Maryland Home and Garden Show |
| Date: |
|
October 15-17, 2010 |
| City, State: |
|
Timonium, MD |
| Place: |
|
Maryland State Fairgrounds |
| Website: |
|
http://www.mdhomeandgarden.com/0_HG/01_HG_show_info.html |
|
| Show name: |
|
Suburban Maryland Fall Home Show |
| Date: |
|
October 29-31, 2010 |
| City, State: |
|
Upper Marlboro, MD |
| Place: |
|
The Show Place Arena |
| Website: |
|
http://www.acshomeshow.com/HGExpo/SPF.html |
|
Upcoming Meetings:
The next Maryland/DC Damage Prevention meeting is scheduled for
April 27, 2010 at the Miss Utility Center. Coffee and donuts
will be served at 9:00 am. The meeting will begin at 9:30 am.
The next Maryland/DC Subscribers meeting will be held May 11, 2010 at the
Miss Utility Center. Coffee and donuts will be served at 8:30 am and the meeting will begin at 9:00 am.
There being no further business brought before the committee, the meeting was adjourned at 10:40 am.
 |
| ITIC % Report for Maryland and Washington D.C. |
|
| Month |
|
Call Center Tickets |
|
ITIC Tickets |
|
Percentage |
| Feb-09 |
|
44,597 |
|
33,304 |
|
75% |
| Mar-09 |
|
54,095 |
|
39,670 |
|
73% |
| Apr-09 |
|
58,278 |
|
42,368 |
|
73% |
| May-09 |
|
54,805 |
|
39,824 |
|
73% |
| Jun-09 |
|
63,827 |
|
47,181 |
|
74% |
| Jul-08 |
|
60,956 |
|
45,051 |
|
74% |
| Aug-09 |
|
56,912 |
|
42,621 |
|
75% |
| Sep-09 |
|
59,409 |
|
44,048 |
|
74% |
| Oct-09 |
|
56,231 |
|
41,518 |
|
74% |
| Nov-09 |
|
47,354 |
|
35,332 |
|
75% |
| Dec-09 |
|
46,735 |
|
36,479 |
|
78% |
| Jan-10 |
|
46,647 |
|
36,231 |
|
78% |
| Feb-10 |
|
29,716 |
|
23,540 |
|
79% |
|
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