More on the Convention

Everyone has been working very hard to make this the best Convention ever. I hope to have a few announcements in the near future regarding the international flavor of the Convention. As soon as we work it out, I will let you know.

There will also be a university track for the first time. This part of the educational program will include presentations from prominent university professors regarding plumbing and sanitation.

I did receive word that the UA trailer will be on the floor of the EPE. We invited the UA to demonstrate the trailer to the plumbing engineering community.

If you haven’t seen the UA trailer, it is worth the visit. It has full working green plumbing systems.

Also, returning after many years, will be two papers presented by the Research Foundation. This will mark the return of reports on the latest research being conducted in plumbing engineering. The research is currently ongoing at major research laboratories.

With such a low registration fee, I hope that every Chapter brings at least 10 members. For the larger Chapters, it would be great to have 15 to 20 members. This is what we need for a large attendance.

I noticed that some Chapters are running programs to help sponsor members to attend. The sponsorship includes partial payment for the Convention registration fee.

If your Chapter can swing such a program, I would encourage you to do so. This is a great way to get your members to the Convention.

Elections

With the month of May nearly completed, every Chapter has had their elections. For some of you, this may be the last President’s Newsletter that you receive from me. For others, you will be continuing for another term.

For those completing the term as Chapter President, my big thanks for all that you have done for your Chapter. I always like to add that now it is time to consider moving onto Society level activities. Consider joining a Society Committee. Consider Chairing a Society Committee. Or, consider running for the Board of Directors.

As for changing your e-mail address, don’t worry about contacting me. I rely on the Region Directors to give me the e-mail addresses of their Chapter Presidents. So, if you keep getting this Newsletter when you shouldn’t, complain to your Region Director.

If you still want to read the President’s Newsletter, realize that they are always posted on the Leadership page of the website. So you can still access this Newsletter that way.

To the Presidents that are continuing for another term, my thanks for continuing to do all that hard work for your Chapter.

ICC MOU

As was previously announced, I signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the International Codes Council (ICC) on behalf of ASPE. This occurred during the ICC Spring Meeting in Dallas, Texas.

There are four major points to the MOU: products, education, communications, and awareness. There are bullet points in each of these categories identifying how we hope to work together.

Some of the items identified have already been in place for some time with ICC. For example, ASPE representatives already serve on a number of ICC Committees.

Both ICC and ASPE publish various documents beneficial to both the plumbing engineering community and the code enforcement community. We hope to make the ICC documents, including the code, available to ASPE members at ICC member prices. We also hope to make ASPE documents available to ICC members at member prices.

There are many educational areas where ICC and ASPE have a joint interest. We plan to pursue those areas so that there may be joint education programs. One such opportunity is the ASPE Convention and the ICC Conferences.

The Board also approved the signing of a similar MOU with IAPMO. That is currently being jointly developed.

New Books

You should have received a flyer in the mail regarding two new publications that ASPE has available. One is the Hunter Papers, the other is the Plumbing Engineering Dictionary. I hope that every Chapter officer buys both of these books. They are great reference documents.

I would also ask the Chapter to start publicizing these books in the Chapter Newsletter. Another thought would be to have the books available for review at the Chapter meetings. Then hand the members the flyer so they can purchase the books.

Seminars

ASPE just completed a series of educational seminars that were held in various cities in the United States. The two seminars were on BIM and the International and Uniform Plumbing Code.

The seminar series was successful, so look for additional seminars in the future. If you have a subject that you would like to have considered, e-mail Diane Wingard, CPD, Vice President, Education.

Region Meetings

Over the next two weekends, the Region Chapter Presidents Meeting will be held. I wish all of you much success at these meetings. I have always found the meetings to be very enlightening.

I will be attending the Region 4 meeting in Phoenix. I look forward to seeing the Region 4 Chapter Presidents (and other Chapter officers).

Your Comments

This is a short Newsletter this month. At the Region Meeting, you will receive a detailed report from the Board of Directors. In that Report, you will find more information from me. That is why I am keeping this short.

Keep your e-mails, cards, and letters coming. They are always appreciated. All of your comments are welcome. Also, feel free to share information with other Chapters through this Newsletter.

Contact me at any time. I can be reached at PrezASPE@aol.com. My office number is 219-922-6171.