Inside this issue: From the desk of the CEO : page 2 VA811 s Quarterly Newsletter Outreach & Events : page 3-4 September 2017 Let Them Eat Cake! August brought 2017 s edition of 811 Day celebrations, made special as 2017 marked the 10th anniversary of the implementation of 811. The Public Awareness and Training (PAT) Department worked with stakeholders throughout Virginia in bringing awareness to the importance of calling 811 before beginning any digging project. Here is a list of some of the VA811 efforts related to 811 Day: A press release was issued discussing 811 Day and the C.A.R.E. message. Five of the state s Damage Prevention Committees met during August and did special events for 811 Day. The 811 Hot Air Balloon traveled throughout Virginia for two weeks during this time. More on the Balloon later in the newsletter. Minor league baseball sponsorships helped spread the word. VA811 and Columbia Gas of Virginia sponsored the August 11 Richmond Flying Squirrels baseball game, while VA811 partnered with Roanoke Gas at the Salem Red Sox game that same night. Willbros helped at the Richmond game with sharing handouts with approximately 2,000 attendees prior to the game. The second annual VA811 Backyard Makeover contest promoted through Facebook. Be sure to see the article discussing the contest later in the newsletter. The third consecutive year Southwestern Virginia 811 Distance Run was supported by VA811 along with Atmos Energy and Verizon. The Christiansburg-based race continues to grow, going from 42 runners in 2015 to 66 in 2016 to this year s total of 128. 811 Day cakes were delivered to four television stations in the Roanoke area. VA811 received the following television interviews: o Cox News: Steve Light and Rick Pevarski o WSLS10 NBC affiliate: Scott Crawford o WFXR Fox news: Rick Pevarski Stakeholder-sponsored 811 Day activities that VA811 attended included the University of Virginia Geospatial Engineering Services 811 Day event and a public outreach event hosted by the City of Richmond Gas Department at a local Lowe s store. The VA811 Display Truck got into the action for 811 Day, Rick Pevarski delivers 811 Day cake to Cox Communication s Vice president Jeff Merritt too. It participated in a Touch-A-Truck event in Martinsville, the Richmond Flying Squirrels game mentioned above, and a second Touch-A-Truck event in Bowie, MD, sponsored by Washington Gas. In preparation for 2018, VA811 would like to plan for more cake deliveries to TV stations across Virginia. Stay tuned for information about how you can help us next year to make this happen! Contact Center Spotlight : page 5 Industry Focus : page 6 Upcoming Holidays October 9 - Columbus Day (observed) November 10 - Veterans Day (observed) November 23 Thanksgiving Day November 24 Day after Thanksgiving Day (state holiday) The Contact Center is CLOSED and only takes Emergency or 3 Hour Notice tickets on holidays. Normal Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday 7AM-5PM Emergency & 3-Hour Notice tickets are taken 24/7/365. Please visit our online Events Calendar to learn more about upcoming events. page 1
As the third quarter of 2017 comes to a close let s look back at a bustling several months. VA811 participated in and sponsored many events across the state to celebrate 811 day. From the Southwestern Virginia 811 Distance Run to the Richmond Flying Squirrels to the 811 Hot Air Balloon traveling across the state. There s more about these initiatives under Let Them Eat Cake! on the cover and in Outreach & Events Highlights on page 4. At the contact center things have been busy as well! Eddie Bowman has joined the PAT Department full time as the Public Awareness & Training Coordinator for the western region. Leslie Zhang, the current northern region coordinator will be moving to and covering the Eastern region. Leslie and her husband Michael welcomed their first child, a boy, Peter to the family in August. Edging Peter out for newest PAT Department team member by a slim margin is Melissa Peguero. Melissa recently came on board as the new northern region coordinator. You can also read about our employee of the quarter, David Holt, in the Contact Center Spotlight section. VA811 s commitment to keep Virginia safe continues with attendance at Paradigm pipeline safety meetings across the state and through the launch of the enhanced computer based training (CBT) course. If you are interested in either of these items please contact the PAT Coordinator for your region. Thank you to everyone for your continued contributions to help keep Virginia safe this autumn! Sincerely, Rick Pevarski, President & CEO page 2
Public Awareness Departmental Update Over the past few months there have been several changes in the Public Awareness and Training Department. Eddie Bowman, who had been interning with Virginia 811 joined the company full time as the PAT Coordinator for the western region. Eddie is a recent graduate of the University of Charleston (WV) and resides in Martinsville. Eddie Bowman Southwestern Virginia Public Awareness and Training Coordinator ebowman@va811.com Leslie Zhang who has covered the northern Viginia region for the past three years will be moving to Hampton Roads in the upcoming months. Leslie and her husband grew up in Virginia Beach and are looking forward to raising their son, Peter, there. Leslie Zhang Eastern Virginia Public Awareness and Training Coordinator lzhang@va811.com Our newest addition to the Public Awareness and Training Department is Melissa Peguero. Before joining Virginia 811, she resided in Anchorage, Alaska. Melissa is fluent in Spanish and will be a great asset to the Northern Virginia excavating community. Melissa Peguero Northern Virginia Public Awareness and Training Coordinator mpeguero@va811.com Backyard Makeover In August, we announced the winners of the Backyard Makeover, Bruce and Linda Decker from Nokesville, Virginia. They were excited to hear that they won and eager to get started talking with a landscaper about their ideas. Be sure to check out before and after pictures in our next newsletter. page 3
811 Message Soars Above Virginia Common Ground Alliance celebrated the 10th anniversary of the implementation of 811 as the national call before you dig number in 2017. Part of that celebration included the travel of the 811 Hot Air Balloon, sponsored by Cox Utility Services. The Balloon began its journey in California in April and came to Virginia in the beginning of August. VA811 worked with stakeholders to host events for the Balloon in the following locations: Bristow Winchester Richmond (2 events) Daleville Lynchburg Charlottesville Press releases were distributed to help promote attendance at the events and to encourage media coverage as well. Weather had an influence on the events, unfortunately. In spite of seven events being scheduled, the Balloon was only able to inflate at two occasions due to rain, thunderstorms, or excessive winds. WSET-TV, the ABC affiliate in Lynchburg, aired a story about the balloon on its 11:00 pm broadcast on the evening that the balloon was in Lynchburg. The 811 Balloon pilot indicated that with all of the events that were held throughout the year, they only received media coverage from 10-15 times. A number of damage prevention partners stepped up and assisted VA811 in the planning and coordination of events across Virginia. Those partners were: Total Development Solutions Heavy Construction Contractors Association (HCCA) Washington Gas City of Richmond Gas Columbia Gas of Virginia Willbros Roanoke Gas Company Botetourt County Goverment Appalachian Power City of Charlottesville Gas Virginia Natural Gas Hampton Roads Utility and Heavy Contractors Association (HRUHCA) National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) page 4
Employee of the Quarter Pictured from left to right: Scott Crawford, David Holt, and Rick Pevarski David Holt was chosen as the Employee of the 2nd Quarter. David was nominated because of his relentless willingness to help out. He s the first to respond to requests for back up coverage for after hours and weekend shifts. David is no stranger to spending major holidays in the office. He has worked Christmas for the past four years! This work ethic has not gone unnoticed. The person who nominated David said that they don t know what they would do without him. Congratulations David Holt, keep working hard. Enhanced Computer Based Training (CBT) Course During the Damage Prevention Conference, many stakeholders requested enhancements to the CBT course. VA811 applied and received a Pipeline Hazardous Materials and Safety Administration (PHMSA) grant to enhance the course. Material was added to enhance the Dig with C.A.R.E. course, missed questions to the exam are now revealed and a newly created Spanish Dig with C.A.R.E. course is available. In addition to the enhanced features, the Public Awareness and Training (PAT) department has created an online Web Ticket Entry (WTE) course. Excavators who wish to enter their tickets online, can now take the WTE course. The PAT department did a great job creating the content, the Spanish translated course and the WTE online course! If you are interested in taking any of these courses, please contact the VA811 Help Desk or any member of the PAT Department. page 5
2017 Paradigm Pipeline Safety Meetings The pipeline safety meetings have begun! Several Virginia 811 member pipeline operators are partnering with Paradigm Liaison Services again. The pipeline operators invited excavators, first responders and public officials impacted by their underground facilities. This year s program called Coordinated Response Exercise (CoRE) will allow for a more interactive discussion between the attendees and the Paradigm facilitator. Although the meetings have started, there are several more across the state. The final meeting will take place in Virginia Beach on October 12th. Virginia 811 Public Awareness and Training Coordinators attend these meetings and provide a technology update. Dinner is provided at each meeting. To find a meeting in your area and register to attend, visit http://va.pipeline-awareness.com/meeting_schedule. Thanks to all of the pipeline operators for sponsoring the meetings and allowing VA811 to participate. September 13, 2017 5:30 PM September 14, 2017 5:30 PM September 18, 2017 5:30 PM September 19, 2017 5:30 PM September 25, 2017 5:30 PM September 26, 2017 5:30 PM September 27, 2017 5:30 PM September 28, 2017 5:30 PM Roanoke South Boston Lynchburg City Charlottesville Harrisonburg Front Royal Culpeper Fredericksburg October 2, 2017 5:30 PM Manassas October 3, 2017 5:30 PM Fork Union October 4, 2017 11:00 AM Richmond October 4, 2017 5:30 PM Richmond October 5, 2017 5:30 PM Colonial Heights October 10, 2017 5:30 PM Emporia October 11, 2017 5:30 PM Smithfield October 12, 2017 11:00 AM Virginia Beach 3rd Quarter Web Ticket Entry User Recognition Cynthia Zick has been a Web Ticket Entry User since 2003. She works for Long Fence in Chantilly, Virginia. Cynthia has accurately entered over 1,600 tickets during the months of May, June and July. Pat Allen, the Web Ticket Entry Coordinator stated that Cynthia makes sure she understands the job and the area of work before she enters a ticket. She takes the time to learn and get the ticket right before releasing it. Congratulations to Cynthia on being a conscientious Web Ticket Entry user and consistently entering high quality locate requests. page 6