Page 3 - Tennessee 811 Magazine 2021 Issue 2

from the desk of
Bill Turner
It’s spring time in Tennessee and we appreciate your support helping celebrate April as National Safe Digging Month!
As the nation and our state attempts to return to something like normal,
we have had a few events to celebrate Safe Digging Month and to promote the
Call Before You Dig message. At the end of March we partnered with Lexington Utilities in West Tennessee on a local damage prevention seminar – learn more
on page 15. We held our annual meeting in Nashville on April 26th, choosing to offer a hybrid approach for those that preferred to attend virtually. The meeting went really well and it was great to see familiar faces. On April 27th we held our 24th annual 811 Invitational Golf Tournament at Hermitage Golf Course. The event was fantastic and the weather could not have been better. Thank you to all of our safe digging partners who participated, and we especially thank the sponsors of the event. As more people are vaccinated and case numbers continue to drop, we’ll expand our offering of in-person events, so we hope to see you soon.
The New Year is proving to be a busy one. Call volume has been record breaking (again); March of 2021 set a new record with 98,394 tickets. In my 30 plus years, I don’t think March has ever been a record month. It certainly makes us wonder what May and June will be like. We are hiring additional staff and we continue to promote the use of our web-based E-Ticket and Remote Ticket Entry options.
As stated in the last magazine, our latest legislative update has moved through committees and has since passed both the House and the Senate unanimously. The amendment is now awaiting the governor’s signature. Pending his signature, the changes will take effect July 1, 2021. More information will be distributed about those changes and what they mean for our industry.
Thank you all for your support and hard work in damage prevention, and thank you for creating a safer Tennessee. Remember to always Call or Click 811 Before You Dig!
Respectfully,
William “Bill” Turner President Tennessee811
Mission Statement
To Provide the
Best Communication, Education and Notification Service to Facilitate Damage Prevention to Underground Utilities.
2021, Issue 2
Tennessee811 • 1