On May 24, the Pennsylvania ASCE Sections released the 2010 Report Card for Pennsylvania’s Infrastructure.
The Lehigh Valley Section had a press conference at the Lehigh County Government Center in downtown Allentown. Simultaneous press conferences were held in Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. There were 19 attendees at this press release including civil engineers, press and agency stakeholders. The conference was included in the newspaper and was on Channel 69 News that evening.

Later that same day, Mike Perlow, Phil Gauffreau, Pete Terry and Bill MacNair traveled to Harrisburg to discuss the infrastructure issue with our State representatives. Our representatives are beginning to appreciate the need to maintain and improve our infrastructure. They are struggling with how to pay for it.

The PA House Transportation Committee held a hearing on Thursday, June 3 at DeSales University to discuss the nearly $3.5 billion a year the state needs to maintain Pennsylvania’s existing highway, bridge, and public transit systems. Pete Terry addressed the committee as the spokesperson for the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce.

There is a lot more that needs to be done to address the infrastructure in our State and in the Lehigh Valley.  Stay tuned for further developments. Please let us know if you are interested in working in this important civil engineering issue. More information is available at http://www.pareportcard.org.

Phil Gauffreau

Mike Perlow

Monday May 24th has been set for the release of the 2010 Pennsylvania Infrastructure Report Card. Four simultaneous events will take place that morning (Allentown, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh). The Harrisburg event will be in the rotunda of the the Capital and will be followed by our program of visits to our state elected officials. We are working with PSPE and ACEC who will also be having their Legislative Day on that day. We need volunteers to help organize the Allentown event and to attend the Harrisburg event. Please contact Pete Terry(peter.terry@bencivil.com) to get involved. Even if you can’t make the events on May 24 we need members to carry the updated report card to our elected officials. We need to make sure our elected officials understand the importance of properly funded and maintained infrastructure in Pennsylvania. Please get involved in this important activity.

American Society of Civil Engineers

Younger Member Forum

Yuengling Brewery Tour

Date:

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Location:

D.G. Yuengling and Son Brewery

5th & Mahantongo Streets Pottsville, PA 17901 (570) 628-4890

Time: Arrive at 10:30 AM, Tour begins at

11:00 AM

Cost: FREE!!!

Contact: For more information or

to RSVP, contact Timothy Kramer

Since 1829, D.G. Yuengling and Son of Pottsville, PA, “America’s Oldest Brewery”, has produced a complete line of fine brewed products to satisfy the most discerning tastes of beer connoisseurs. Join the YMF for an enjoyable tour of this historic facility!

More information will be provided to those who RSVP.

Green Building in the Lehigh Valley Conference & Trade Show Thursday

 June 10, 2010 11:30 am – 5:00 pm

Holiday Inn Allentown Center City

* Practical & cost-effective solutions for greening Lehigh Valley facilities

* Over 300 expected attendees: office, industrial, health care & higher education facility owners as well as the region’s premiere architects, engineers and constructor and suppliers:

* Network with local businesses

* Leading green builders & planners will discuss the process, technology and financial impacts of utilizing green building practices

* Meet the suppliers of the most innovative green products and practices on the expo floor

Keynote Speaker: Scot Horst, Senior Vice-President for LEED at the U.S. Green Building Council

Scot Horst, Senior Vice President for LEED at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is widely recognized as one of the key leaders of the sustainable design movement. Scot was previously president of 7group, a leading green building consultancy, and president of Athena Institute, a non-profit committed to the evaluation of environmental impacts of buildings through lifecycle assessment. Since 2005, Scot has served as chair of USGBC’s LEED Steering Committee, the body that has principle responsibility for developing and implementing the LEED rating system. For this work, he is the 2008 recipient of USGBC’s Leadership Award in the LEED category. He has recently co-authored “An Integrative Design Manual: Redefining the Practice of Sustainability.” Scot is a LEED AP and LEED faculty member and has been a contributing author to the LEED reference guides. He is a sought-after speaker and a frequently interviewed expert on all aspects of green building and its intersection with humanity. More program information to follow

LV-ASCE April Section Meeting Announcement

STRUCTURAL NIGHT

Lehigh Valley Section of the

American Society of Civil Engineers

The Structural Committee of the LV ASCE is proud to present:

Pennsylvania Turnpike

Lehigh/Pohopoco Bridge Project Tour and Presentation

When: April 13, 2010

Where: Riverwalck Saloon

8 Center Street, Parryville, PA 18244

Cost: $25.00

$15 for students

(Please consider sponsoring a student for an additional amount of $10.00 to cover the student discount)

Lehigh/Pohopoco Bridge Project Tour: 5:30 – 6:30

(Limited to first 20 people to RSVP for the tour)

(Waiver form will be sent to those going on the tour. Safety vest and hard hat must be worn during tour)

Social Hour: 6:00 – 7:00

(For those who are unable to attend the tour)

(Cash Bar)

Dinner: 7:00 – 8:00

(Buffet Style Dinner)

Program: 8:00 – 9:00

Carl DeFebo

Pennsylvania Turnpike Authority

“History of the Turnpike” and “Update on Act 44/I-80 Tolling”

Reservations: Please make reservations NO LATER THAN by Friday April 9, 2010 by contacting Dicksie Wentzel by phone at 484.893.1440, by FAX at 484.893.1449, or by email at dwentzel@nthconsultants.com

Allentown Bridge Tour

2nd Annual

Wednesday April 21, 2010

(rain date Thursday April 22, 2010)

4:00pm

Sponsored by:

American Society of Civil Engineers

Lehigh Valley Section YOUNGER MEMBER FORUM (YMF)

MEETING PLACE: Fritz Lab Parking Lot, Lehigh University

PRICE: Tour is Free and open to ALL ASCE MEMBERS

DESCRIPTION: The tour will consist of visiting bridges in Allentown led by Dr. Ben Yen of Lehigh University. The tour starts at the Fritz Lab parking lot and will consist of driving to different bridges in Allentown with a discussion about each of them. Come prepared with lots of questions, a hard hat and suitable work shoes.

RSVP: Greg Kuklinski by Monday April 19, 2010 at 5pm (610) 439-7066 (w) gkuklinski@benesch.com

The Environmental and Water Resources Committee is organizing during the next few months and we need your assistance.  We are looking for practitioners  in this discipline group to help define the goals of the committee and prepare a mission statement.   Between now and the May meeting to be held at Beltzvile Dam, we will collaborate on ideas for the committee via email, telephone calls and informal meetings.  If you would like to participate in this committee, contact Aaron Frantz at frantzar@cdm.com  or 610 390 2203. We look forward to hearing from you.

Congratulations to the 2009 – 2010 Lehigh Valley ASCE Board Members. Visit our Board of Directors page to meet the new board.