Greetings to you all!

It is hard to believe that we are quickly approaching the end of another year. All of us here at Mississippi 811 extend our best wishes to you and your families as we enter the holiday season.

These are some of the most exciting times in recent memory for damage prevention in Mississippi. I am humbled to be part of the stakeholder groups that have worked together to better understand how we can keep our state a safer place to live and work.

One thing is certain: though we have goals in common, the issues are complex. That being said, we need to continue to listen carefully to other stakeholder perspectives. I am confident that the MDPC has followed that pattern so as to ensure that the proposed amendment to our current law will be seen as both fair and effective.

The proposal is included in this issue for your consideration and on behalf of the Mississippi Damage Prevention Council (MDPC), we encourage you to look it over and provide feedback to us. Should you have any questions or comments regarding the effort, it will benefit all of us for you to get involved.

At this year’s Summit scheduled for November 7 – 9 in Biloxi, the proposal will be discussed at length. We invite you to be part of this exciting annual event. You can learn more about the Summit by going to http://mississippi.damagepreventionsummit.com.

I want to thank the supporters of damage prevention in Mississippi who have helped sponsor this publication. The magazine has proven to be one of the most effective tools in getting our important message out consistently. We remain convinced that there are many more great stories and perspectives throughout the state that need to be told. These perspectives are beneficial in elevating damage prevention awareness in the state. I believe that it will also help build trust and respect.
Thanks to all of you who have worked so diligently to make this year the safest possible. I look forward to working with all of you in 2012.
Be safe!