Gopher State One Call Will Not Shut Down
Chanhassen, MN – June 21st, 2011 – Gopher State One Call (GSOC) will not shut down if the State of Minnesota does.
Recent comments by various members of the State Legislature, as well as the press, have created some confusion about Gopher State One Call and what happens to GSOC if the State of Minnesota does “close” on July 1, 2011.
1. GSOC is Not a State Agency or Affiliated with the State of Minnesota.
GSOC is an independent non-profit corporation, and not in any way affiliated with the State of Minnesota. GSOC was separately incorporated in 1987 by the Minnesota damage prevention industry and is managed by a volunteer board of directors. GSOC is not part of the State of Minnesota, never has been and will not be in the future. The legislation that created a single state wide notification center allowed the industry to come together and form GSOC as a free standing non-profit organization, not affiliated with state government.
In this uncertain current situation involving the finances of the State of Minnesota, GSOC is not part of the “politics” of the State and therefore is available to continue to protect Minnesota.
2. GSOC is Not Part of the Minnesota Office of Pipeline Safety.
The Minnesota Office of Pipeline Safety has many responsibilities including enforcing Minnesota Statutes 216D, the Minnesota “One Call” law. The State Fire Marshall, by statute, is a member of the 20 person GSOC Board of Directors. Both GSOC and MnOps appear together at many damage prevention meetings and work together as part of the overall damage prevention effort in Minnesota. However, we are separate organizations, are separately managed and funded and are not legally interconnected. If MnOps is unavailable to attend damage prevention meetings, GSOC will continue to do so. GSOC will be handing out yardsticks at the State Fair, have no fear!
3. GSOC is Not Funded by the Minnesota Legislature.
GSOC receives no funds from the Minnesota legislature and never has! GSOC is funded by the 1400 underground facility operators in Minnesota who use GSOC to protect their underground facilities. GSOC also receives no Federal funds. In several states, the Federal “one Call Grant” goes to the one call center. In Minnesota, MnOps has always kept that money for their use and therefore GSOC has developed a funding strategy that does not rely on any grants or legislative funding at any level.
The GSOC Board of Directors have been stewards of GSOC’s efforts to remain financially viable in this trying economic time. Even though activity volume and gross revenue to GSOC is down over 30% from the pre-recession level, GSOC has not raised prices! GSOC as a private group has managed its financial situation prudently to ensure Minnesota service is not interrupted in these trying times.
4. GSOC has Planned for the Government Shutdown and is Prepared.
GSOC has been working diligently to prepare for the possibility that the State of Minnesota may shut down on July 1st. GSOC has coordinated with state agencies about the transmission of locate tickets to impacted facility operators who are funded by the legislature, such as MnDOT. Through this working relationship, MnDOT was able to secure several workers who will be deemed “essential” to receive and locate MnDOT facilities. This will allow the excavation community to continue to work around the shutdown of the State of Minnesota. GSOC has several tools available on its website to assist users in determining if state agencies may be involved in excavation in their area.
• KorWeb: if you locate requests from GSOC
• Ticket Search: http://mnprs.korterraweb.com/Search/Search.aspx
• The copy of the ticket that you receive via email after submitting your request.
Thank you for your commitment to damage prevention and keeping Minnesota safe. Gopher State One Call appreciates the 1,400 plus facility operators and 50,000 excavators that participate in utilizing our services every year.
For more information at any time, please visit our website at www.gopherstateonecall.org.
Have a safe digging season, and please remember to always call or click before you dig!
