LUCC Meeting Minutes
April 6th, 2023
Welcome – President Rocky Stewart called the meeting to order and welcomed all attendees.
Self-Introductions – 29 people were present.
Meeting Minutes –Meeting minutes were approved at the opening of the meeting.
Treasurers Report – Naomi Shirtcliff: More member dues are coming in. The shirts have been ordered and we bought a gift card for the drawing.
Publicity & Education– Jim Franklin: Not Present
Damage Report– Jason Williams: Not present. Nathaniel w/ EWEB shared on Jason’s behalf: There was one damage by Wildish on a 1” poly service line. NWN was digging before the ticket was due and another damage by unnamed contractor digging next a meter w/o a valid ticket.
Web Page– Amy Abramson: No update
OUCC Standards Review – none
Old Business: None
New Business: EWEB is now participating in NTMS. The question was asked by EWEB, if they should still send a separate email to the ticket caller to communicate when a ticket is “clear” of their facilities, or if the online system is sufficient for communicating that. Josh Thomas thinks its still a good idea to send the email. And Kevin Hennessy mentioned you can also attach links to the project materials online, to include shared photos, maps, etc.
Program: Josh Thomas – Oregon Utility Notification Center (OUNC) – Executive Director
The OR 811 system was created in 1995. It is a non-profit organization with no tax dollar funding. OUNC is funded by utilities with 21 board members and 1000+ utility members.
There are currently three board seats becoming available, one for each of the following seats: Telecom & Railroad, Populations under 25k, and NULCA (National Utility Locating Contractors Association). Most meetings can be attended virtually. Apply if interested.
ITIC = Internet Ticketing = ITICNEXT is the newest version that includes enhanced tools to increase efficiency and accuracy. The “white lining” tool is still only for capturing the dig area for notification to applicable utilities in the area and isn’t a replacement to the current white lining requirements. There are efforts in the works towards making white lining a requirement, without the current exceptions. The current exception allows no paint required if the operator can clearly identify the excavation scope from the ticket description. Kevin w/ OPUC is working on revising this language.
Managetickets.com and Searchandstatus.com are helpful tools for managing tickets or looking up tickets.
OUNC offers trainings – 2hr class for CCB hours. Private trainings can also be coordinated for locators or excavators. They are working on a homeowner training.
OUNC collects data and statistics to determine root cause of damages. 80% of damages are from professional excavators, and 20% by homeowners. The data helps determine what kind of changes should be reviewed or implemented.
Email NWITIC@OUCC.COM to report any issues with ITIC / ITICNEXT
It was mentioned the homeowner version doesn’t offer as many tools for creating tickets, as the professional excavator site. Why are there separate versions? Josh is going to look into this.
Meeting Adjourned- 1:00pm
