Region 2 Newsletter

November 13, 2009

Symposium Review…

I would like to congratulate Stan Wolfson and his staff for organizing and running a very successful Symposium in Dearborn.  In addition, thanks go out to our Symposium chairs Esteban Cabello, Joe Vela and the Eastern Michigan Chapter for all of their hard work.  We could not have had a successful event without their help and dedication.

In review, the Symposium kicked off with a fantastic tabletop presentation and attendees were able to dine on some great BBQ food while talking turkey with the sponsors.  The seminars started the following morning and everyone had the opportunity to choose between (25) different technical sessions over the long weekend.  Handouts were provided at each session and should serve as a reminder of what was discussed as well as a valuable design tool in the future.  In speaking with many of the attendees, they felt they had received a quality education for a very reasonable price.

I had the honor of handing out the Award of Merit certificates for Region 2 during the Symposium luncheon.  I would like to congratulate every Chapter in Region 2 because each and every one of you earned the award this year.  I would encourage all of you to keep up the great work and to strive to achieve the award again next year.  Don’t forget, your Chapter can get additional points towards the award by increasing membership, have a member join a Society Committee or by providing additional seminars throughout the year.

One of the responsibilities of the Board of Directors is too review the Chapter Annual Reports.  We review every Chapter in Society and as a part of that review, the Board was asked to vote for the two best reports in each Region.  The results of the vote were announced at the Symposium and the winning Chapters received a certificate for their accomplishments.  I would like to congratulate the Central Ohio and Eastern Michigan Chapters for winning the inaugural award in Region 2 for their outstanding 2009 Chapter Annual Reports.  Keep up the great work!

I must say that I was very surprised when our President, Julius Ballanco asked me to step forward during the luncheon award presentation at the Symposium.  Julius presented me with an Award of Merit for my accomplishments on the Board of Directors during my “rookie” season.  I was touched by the acknowledgement and want to thank Julius for recognizing my efforts.  I have to say though that I could not have done my job without the help of the “veterans” on the Board who have helped guide me along the way.

Member Help…

At the latest Board of Directors meeting, it was mentioned that one Chapter recently started a program to help its members who were in need and I thought you might like to hear about it.  The Chapter is paying the dues of those members who have been laid off and have requested help.  The Chapter is paying their dues in full or in part depending on the member’s situation and it is their way

to retain them.  I thought this was a great idea and wanted to pass it along for your information.  If you think you can help out a few members within your Chapter, please do so.  You never know when any of us will be in need of some help.

Fundraising Idea…

Another idea that I heard about at the Board meeting was that some Chapters have instituted a 50/50 raffle at their monthly meetings.  The proceeds from their drawings are being donated to the Building Fund.  Just thought you might be interested in hearing about this idea too.

CIPE Designation…

It has come to my attention that some individuals within the Society are still using the CIPE designation.  The CIPE designation no longer exists and nobody should be using it.  If these individuals continue to use the CIPE designation, ASPE will take steps to discipline those who are in violation.  If you know of anyone using this designation, please let me know. 

CPD Practice Exam…

The CPD exam will be offered again this April on the 16^th and 17^th and I wanted to remind everyone that there is a practice exam available on the ASPE website.  The practice exam will help you prepare and statistics have shown that you have a higher percentage of passing the CPD exam if you take the practice exam.  I would encourage everyone who is planning on taking the exam next April to obtain a copy of the practice exam.  It can only help your chances.

Webinars…

The ASPE webinars have been successful to this point and we would like to keep presenting topics that are of interest to the members.  If you have any suggestions for future topics, please let Diane Wingard, Bill Hughes or myself know.  Maybe you have a project coming up and you will be involved in a system that you are unfamiliar with or maybe you need a little brush-up on a topic.  Please let us know your thoughts.

Chapter Program Evaluation Form…

Just a reminder, please make sure your Chapter Program Evaluation Form is completed after each monthly seminar and forwarded to both Diane Wingard and Bill Hughes.  They use your comments to help develop future programs for the Society as well as develop a list of recommended speakers for use by other Chapters.

Speakers Bureau…

As you prepare for your upcoming Chapter seminars, don’t be afraid to check out the list of recommended speakers on the ASPE website.  In the Chapter Officer Section of the website is a link that will take you to the list of speakers.  As I mentioned above, this is where Diane Wingard and Bill Hughes post a list of speakers that have been recommended by others.  Feel free to contact anyone on the last and ask if they would be willing to present a topic at your next event.

2010 Class of Fellows…

As you are all aware, the first class of the Kenneth G. Wentink College of Fellows was announced at the 2008 Long Beach Convention.  We are now in the process of putting together a list of potential Fellows for the 2010 class and need your help.  We are asking the Chapters to submit names of those individuals who they think who would qualify for the honor.  You might ask, what does it take to be a Fellow?  Well, the ASPE Fellow program recognizes society members who have made significant, sustained contributions to the plumbing engineering and design profession, the Society, and/or the plumbing industry in the areas of contracting and manufacturing.

Nominees must be either life members of the Society or current members of ASPE with membership in good standing for the past ten (10) consecutive years. Priority shall be given to members who have contributed to plumbing engineering and design, contracting or the plumbing industry for a decade or more after receiving their P.E. or CPD.  If you would like to nominate anyone for this honor, the forms and complete instructions are in Chapter 11 of the P&O Manual. The deadline for submissions is January 15^th.

Honor Roll of Employers…

ASPE has an award called the Honor Roll of Employers and it is a unique program of recognition for organizations that provide support for their employees’ participation and involvement in ASPE.  The only way for an engineering firm or organization to be recognized for the Honor Roll of Employers is for an ASPE member to nominate his/her employing firm.

The employee must submit a nomination form to the ASPE Board of Directors which is then reviewed.  The Board, as a major requirement for granting induction of a firm, expects to see a history of ASPE engineer-member support by the organization. The granting of the award is for the firm that has provided a minimum of ten (10) member years of support for its ASPE member-employees (i.e., number of employees supported x number of years of support).

If you would like to nominate your employer, please refer to Chapter 1 of the P&O Manual for more information and a nomination form.  Just complete the form in its entirety and submit it for review by the Board of Directors.  Nominations can be submitted at any time and will be reviewed at the next Board of Directors meeting following submission.

Steele Scholarship…

For your information, the Steele Scholarship is named in honor of Alfred Steele, P.E., CIPE who was a long time member of the American Society of Plumbing Engineers and he was a visionary and pioneer in advocating education and professional development for plumbing engineers and designers. 

The Steele scholarship is limited to ASPE members and their immediate families who are planning a career in engineering.  If you are interested, the application along with additional information can be found on the ASPE website or in Chapter 11 of the P&O Manual.  The application must be received by September 1st of next year for consideration so please start

advertising this opportunity in your newsletters and at your meetings.  A maximum of five (5), one thousand dollar ($1,000) scholarships will be awarded in any one application year.

Chapter Anniversary…

We have another Chapter anniversary coming up.  The Eastern Michigan Chapter will be celebrating their 34^th anniversary on November 28^th.  Congratulations to them for all of their hard work and dedication over the years!

Convention Chairperson…

Society is looking for one more individual to chair the 2010 Convention in Philadelphia.  Frank Heine has already agreed to fill one of the positions and now we need a second person to help out.  If you are interested in filling this hard working but fulfilling position, please let me know.  The sooner we get someone on board, the better.

Region 2 Highlights…

In addition to the technical seminars at the Symposium, the Chapters of Region 2 continue to put on quality seminars and events for their members.  Here is a brief summary of what is happening around the Region:

• The Buffalo-Niagara Chapter recently hosted a Residential Sprinkler Code Update seminar and this month will be presenting a seminar on Municipal Meters.
• A Sewage Ejector Sizing seminar will be presented by the Central Indiana Chapter later this month.
• The Central Ohio Chapter recently held a joint meeting with MCACO, ASHRAE and SFPE in October and had the Ohio State Chief Plumbing Enforcement Officer provide an update on changes to the plumbing code.  This month they will be presenting a Solar Water Heating Seminar.
• The Ohio Regional Sewer District spoke at the Cleveland Chapter meeting this month and the topic was Long Term Control Plan for Mitigating Combined Sewer Overflows.
• The Eastern Michigan Chapter will host a basic seminar on Domestic Hot Water and a design class on Capturing the Real Green in Cost Effective Hot Water Renovation Projects.
• A Piping Expansion for Seismic Movement seminar will be sponsored by the Johnstown Chapter.  This will also be a joint meeting with the local ASHRAE Chapter.
• While the Pittsburgh Chapter toured the Consol Energy Arena last month, they also collected donations for the Mario Lemieux Foundation.  The Chapter matched all donations plus added a little more for this worthy cause.  The Chapter will also be presenting a Solar Heating seminar this month.
• The Rochester Chapter recently hosted a Medical / Laboratory Air Compressors – Understanding and Applying NFPA 99C seminar and will be presenting a Practical Review of Fire Pump Specifications and Applications seminar later this month.
• The Southwestern Ohio Chapter is hosting a Green Presentation next week.

• Members of the Western Michigan Chapter who attended the Symposium will be sharing their experiences at the next meeting and will also be giving a short re-cap of the seminars that they attended.

Have a great day!

Mitch Clemente, CPD

Region 2 Director