Seattle is our 61^st Chapter…

I would like to congratulate and welcome the Seattle Chapter. Seattle is our 61^st Chapter and will be joining the ranks of Region 4. Congratulations go out to the members of Seattle and the surrounding areas for taking the steps to organize this new Chapter and to everyone else involved with making this happen. The formal Chartering ceremony is scheduled to be held in March and will be attended by our President, Julius Ballanco. Our Executive Director Stan Wolfson, Vice President Membership Jeff Ingertson and Region 4 Director Matt Bell are also scheduled to attend this big event.

 

Society Open House a Success…

The ASPE open house was held on January 22 and was a success. Many members attended the event and received a tour of our new headquarters. They also enjoyed a few snacks and drinks while they met with the Board of Directors and the ASPE Staff. Our President, Julius Ballanco had the honor of unveiling the plaque that is located in the Lobby and which honors all of the Chapters who forgave all of their dues rebates. There is also an electronic plaque in the Lobby that identifies all of the contributors to the Building Fund. We could not have purchased the building without help from the Chapters, members and the contributors.

 

BIM Part 2 Webinar…

BIM, Part 2: Hands on Instruction on How to Use Revit MEP 2010 will be presented on Wednesday, February 24^th at 2 PM eastern time. Marvin Titlow will present this session and the cost for ASPE members to participate is $69.95 and $129.95 for non-members. As in the past, each paying participant will receive continuing education credits.

 

Chapter Anniversary…

We have another Chapter anniversary this month. The Southwestern Ohio Chapter will be celebrating their 28^th anniversary on February 26^th. Congratulations to them for all of their hard work and dedication over the years!

 

Grassroots Meeting…

The Grassroots meeting this year has been scheduled for Saturday, March 13^th from 10 AM to 1 PM Central Time. This is the member’s chance to review the Societies budget for the upcoming 2010-2011 fiscal year and participants will have an opportunity to ask questions. This year the proposed budget will be sent to the members in advance so that they can review it prior to the meeting. Members can either attend the meeting in person or participate via webcast. The majority of the members feel this is a great opportunity and I am encouraging everyone to participate in the meeting.

 

CPD Webinars…

In addition to the CPD practice test, the Society will be offering four different webinars which will help members prepare for the CPD test. The webinars are tentatively scheduled for 3/13, 3/24, 4/7 and 4/14. The Society is putting in a lot of effort to help educate those who are interested in taking the CPD test so please remind your members of the importance of the CPD designation and stay tuned for more information.

 

College of Fellows Deadline Extended…

The deadline for nominations to the Kenneth G. Wentink College of Fellows has been extended to March 15^th. Please remember, the nominee must be either a life member of the Society or a member in good standing for the past ten (10) consecutive years. In addition, the nominee must 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. Nomination forms are available on the ASPE website.

 

2010 President’s Meeting Update…

The Board of Directors has decided to have one Board member attend each President’s meeting this year in addition to the Region Directors. I am proud to announce that our Vice President Education, Diane Wingard will be joining us in Pittsburgh this year. This re-instituted policy gives the Chapters the opportunity to interact with another Board member other than myself. I am looking forward to meeting with all of you and Diane in Pittsburgh this June.

 

Annual Chapter Reports…

Please keep in mind that the Annual Chapter Reports are due at the President’s Meeting in June. In addition, I would like to encourage every Chapter to continue to strive for the Award of Merit again this year. Keep in mind that you must meet certain criteria to qualify and additional points are earned by increasing membership as well as providing additional educational programs for your members. Now is a good time to see where you stand and how you can achieve these goals.

 

Convention Chair Position Filled…

I am happy to announce that Scott Steindler has agreed to hold the position of Co-Chair for the 2010 Convention in Philadelphia. Scott will be sharing duties with Frank Heine and will have the support of the Convention Committee, ASPE Staff and others. Thanks to Scott for accepting this position and helping to make this a very successful event.

 

Convention Delegates…

Yes, I know it is only February but everyone needs to start thinking about who their Delegates will be for the upcoming Convention in Philadelphia. We are asking that names of each Delegate along with a list of Alternates be submitted to the Society by July 15^th. This date should be easy to remember because it is the same day that the Chapter’s Treasurer Reports are due. Each Chapter is entitled to the maximum number of Delegates based on Schedule 1 of the Bylaws. A copy of the schedule is in the P&O Manual and is on page 2.4. We are also asking that you indicate whether the Delegates would be flying or driving to Philadelphia.

 

Region 2 Highlights…

The Chapters of Region 2 are working hard putting on educational presentations for their members as well as scheduling social activities. Here is a list of a few things that are happening around the Region:

 

• The Buffalo-Niagara Chapter will continue to hold most of their meetings at noon because of the increase in attendance. This past month they held a seminar on Nu Flow Technologies.

• The Central Indiana Chapter will be presenting a REVIT for Plumbing seminar this month. They are also trying to get a seat on the State Plumbing Code Review Committee.

• The Central Ohio Chapter has partnered with the Builders Exchange of Central Ohio in support of the Ohio Construction Conference that is scheduled for February 23^rd. They also recently presented a seminar on CPVC Fire Protection Systems.

• A Fuel Gas Systems seminar covering Natural Gas, Propane and Butane was presented by the Cleveland Chapter this month.

• The Eastern Michigan Chapter is offering three different programs this month for their members. Their presentations include Part 1 of a CPD Prep Class; a Residential Fire Protection Class and a seminar titled Water Safety = Life Safety: Mechanical Engineer / Contractor / Hospital Engineer.

• A Domestic Water Booster Systems seminar will be presented by the Johnstown Chapter next week. They are also planning a joint meeting with ASHRAE for next month.

• The topic this month for the Pittsburgh Chapter will be No-Flame Joining Technologies. The Chapter is also working on the details for the June Presidents meeting.

• The Rochester Chapter will be hosting a Fats, Oil & Grease; Strategies for Controlling System Impacts in Monroe County seminar this month. They have also started planning their April Technical Symposium. Their topics will be: Municipal Water Systems – Their Impact on Plumbing and Fire Protection Systems; Calculating Building Fire Flow Rates and Rainwater Harvesting using Siphonic Roof Drains.

• A seminar titled Specialized Fixed Fire Control Systems & the Adding of F-500 will be presented by the Southwestern Ohio Chapter next week.

• The Western Michigan Chapter is presenting a seminar on the Properties and Heating of Water this week. They are also sponsoring a social night for their members and will be attending a Griffin’s hockey game next week. The Chapter is also going to pay for the registration and hotel fees for one lucky member to attend the 2010 Convention in Philadelphia.

 

Just a few reminders…

• Don’t forget, National Engineers Week is next week. Hopefully every Chapter is participating in this event and promoting the engineering field to students in their area. Please let me know how your Chapter got involved.

• Please make sure your Chapter Program Evaluation Form is completed after each monthly seminar and forwarded to both Diane Wingard and Bill Hughes. Your comments will be used to help develop future programs for the Society as well as to develop a list of recommended speakers for use by other Chapters.

• If you would like to nominate your firm or organization for the ASPE Honor Roll of Employers, please complete the application and forward it to the Society office. This award recognizes 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. Please remind your members of this opportunity also.

• The CPD exam will be offered again on April 16^th and 17^th depending on your location and the deadline to register is Match 19th. There is also a practice exam available on the ASPE website and it will help members prepare for the test. Please continue to encourage your members to take the practice exam.

 

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me any time.

 

Mitch Clemente, CPD

Region 2 Director