Larry Shaw will now serve as the Mayor of Fountain Run, filling the vacancy left by Steve Eaton, who submitted his resignation at the end of the October meeting.

Shaw, who called the meeting to order as the Mayor Pro-tem, was named as the new mayor by commissioners and sworn in to fill the office.

Attorney Richard Jackson, who was present at the meeting of Fountain Run City Hall, told the group that they had 30 days to fill the Commission seat vacancy previously held by Shaw.

Commissioners then discussed possible candidates that might wish to serve on the Commission but took no action.

Jackson, who had attended the meeting to make a presentation concerning the City of Fountain Run’s City Attorney position, offered to serve the city on an “as-need” basis for $125 per hour.

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Remember the little signs you would see in a fancy story, “You break it, you bought it!” With the state’s new 8-1-1 program, the same goes for anyone who digs into the ground and damages any utility lines that did not call in for marking of lines in that area. You “break” it, you may be paying to fix it–with costs ranging from hundreds of dollars to thousands.

During the regular Tompkinsville City Commission meeting, Joe Orazen with Russmar Logistics held an informational meeting about the regulations concerning the 8-1-1 “Call before you dig” program.

Orazen told Commissioners that the first public awareness meeting was held with only one citizen being present so they added him to the Commission meeting agenda and invited all entities involved again, with only a representative from the Monroe County Water District and one from the Monroe County Medical Center/Ambulance Service attending. At that point, Shawn Martin of Russmar noted, they will need to go visit with contractors individually and ensure that public awareness is widespread.

The “Call before you dig” program is mandatory and has been made part of the Kentucky statutes, he added, and is not just for the City of Tompkinsville, but any municipality which has signed up for the service.

Anyone planning to begin a home improvement job, plant a tree, install a fence or deck–these rules also apply to you. Whether you are planning on hiring a contractor or doing it yourself, Orazen urges you to remember to dial 8-1-1 at least two days prior to beginning the project. Dialing 8-1-1 connects the consumer with an operator who will take the information and notify the proper utility companies who will come to your location at no charge and mark any lines in the area of the excavation.

“You may not even think that where you are digging would ever have any utility lines, but every digging job require a call–even small projects like planting trees and shrubs,” said Orazen.

As utility lines may be at varying depths, several lines might be located in a common area. If you choose to dig without going through the process, you will be liable for any costs related to the repairing of the utilities. Such breaks in service can cause disruptions to an entire neighborhood, harm you and those around you and potentially result in additional fines.

The marking of utility lines is a free service and, depending on the utility involved, will be marked in a specific color.

For contractors, carefully planning your work and reviewing your plans prior to the actual time to excavate can help save your company unexpected downtime, loss of revenue and injury. After calling for the reference number (which you should always write down), you should respect the marks made and dig with care taking into the tolerance explained on the www.kentucky8-1-1.com website.

Kentucky 8-1-1 is a free statewide computer-operated communication system designed to save time, money, costly lawsuits and dramatically reduce accidental breaks in the service lines. Kentucky 8-1-1 does not mark the lines themselves–they only serve as a one-call center and they take responsibility to notify all utility companies who might be impacted by your digging. You are asked to begin your project within 10 days of your call and you are not liable for any mismarked lines.

Kerry McPherson, an employee of the Monroe County Water District, then asked about what to do in an emergency situation when a major water line breaks at 2 a.m. Orazen told him that there was provision for emergency situations, ones that might have a substantial likelihood of loss of property or life, or the inability to restore interrupted utilities will result in an emergency notification. “It just takes 30 seconds,” Martin said. “Call in, get that emergency number and go on and did in.”

What happens if no one comes within the two day time period, Orazen noted that you can go on and begin your excavation within the 10-day time frame with no penalties, fines or costs if you hit a line that was not marked by the utility companies.

For more information contact, representatives from the www.kentucky8-1-1.com website.