Work begins on utilities service in North Jackson

NORTH JACKSON — The Ohio Utilities Protection Service broke ground at the corner of Bailey Road and Mahoning Avenue today.

The service agency is expanding to align with the expansion of excavation across the state. The 17,000 square-foot facility will open next year for the more than 50 employees of the agency.

Established in 1972, the Ohio Utilities Protection Service helps homeowners and professionals who plan to dig identify the location of underground utility lines to prevent unintentional damage. In the past 44 years, OUPS has grown from a six-person call center taking more than 13,000 calls per year to an organization with more than 50 employees handling more than 1.2 million digging notifications last year.

"It was an obvious choice that we needed to stay in the Mahoning Valley," said Roger Lipscomb, president and executive director of the agency.