News Releases

COLLINSVILLE, Ill. (AUGUST 8, 2024) – The Board of Directors at JULIE, Inc. (JULIE) announced its winner of the 2024 Gina Meehan-Taylor Damage Prevention Advocacy Award at its annual meeting in Joliet, Aug. 1.

Chris Schildroth, Public Awareness Specialist for Ameren Illinois, was chosen as the 2024 recipient of the Gina Meehan-Taylor Damage Prevention Advocacy Award for his dedication as an advocate of damage prevention to natural gas pipelines. Nationwide every six minutes, someone contacts an underground utility because they didn't call 8-1-1 before that first shovel or spike broke the earth.

Chosen from a pool of nominations from throughout Illinois, JULIE selected Schildroth because of the positive impact he has made through outreach, advocacy and education. In the nomination submitted by a peer at Ameren Illinois, Schildroth was recognized for being proactive and a responsive advocate for safety.

"Chris is a champion of damage prevention with a tireless commitment to pipeline safety," said Jake Dukett, supervisor of Natural Gas Public Awareness for Ameren Illinois. "Every day, he travels to communities large and small throughout our service territory, preparing emergency first responders, contractors and public works groups how to respond to natural gas emergencies. He has also conducted countless public awareness sessions about pipeline and underground damage prevention for members of the general public."

Ameren Illinois would like to remind customers that marking utility lines is a free service for homeowners – and it's the law. Follow these important steps to stay in compliance and avoid serious injury, loss of service and expensive repairs: 

1. Call 811 at least two business days before starting a digging project. Requests can be made at no cost, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 811, the national call-before-you-dig phone number, automatically connects callers to JULIE in Illinois.
2. Wait until a professional locator comes out to mark natural gas, electric, water, sewer, telephone and cable lines. The approximate location of buried utilities will be marked with paint or flags so that you can avoid them. Each utility type corresponds to a specific color of paint or a flag, and all of them must be marked before you can dig.
3. Once the site has been clearly marked, proceed with caution. Try to avoid digging within 18 to 24 inches of each utility mark, if possible. It’s important to use the appropriate tools to dig with care and follow safe digging practices.

JULIE established the advocacy award in memory of Meehan-Taylor, who was a damage prevention professional with Ameren Illinois. Meehan-Taylor was passionate about protecting underground utilities. She actively promoted calling 811 before digging and spread the message about the importance and need to contact JULIE prior to digging. She had also served on the JULIE Board of Directors and Public Education Committee.

About JULIE
A not-for-profit agency based in Joliet, JULIE represents 2,000 members and covers Illinois, outside the city of Chicago. JULIE personnel do not perform locating or marking services. For more information about the award nomination process or safe digging practices, go to JULIEBeforeYouDig.com.

About Ameren Illinois
Ameren Illinois delivers energy to 1.2 million electric and more than 800,000 natural gas customers in Illinois. Our mission is to power the quality of life. Our service territory covers more than 1,200 communities and 43,700 square miles. For more information, visit AmerenIllinois.com or find us on X (formerly Twitter) @AmerenIllinois or Facebook.