Quad Cities Section

November 2012 Volume 19 Number 8 QUAD CITIES SECTION

Monthly Meeting: Joint IES/ASCE Meeting In This Issue: Monthly Meeting QCESC Events Other Upcoming Events Last Meeting Local News This month’s meeting will include an overview of the Iowa City Wastewater Treatment Board of Directors Consolidation Project presented by Mr. Jay Brady, Principal Environmental Engineer at 2012-2013 Stanley Consultants. Stanley Consultants has been working with Iowa City on this project President to expand the city's south wastewater treatment plant from 10 MGD to 25 MGD; Christian Hawkinson, P.E. allowing abandonment of the 5 MGD north treatment plant. The 2008 floods inundated Rock Island Arsenal Public Works portions of the north treatment plant causing treatment to be suspended until flooding (309) 782 0689 subsided and damaged infrastructure was repaired. The flooding and an Economic [email protected] Development Assistance grant provided the impetus for the city to implement its long Vice President term vision of consolidating all treatment at the south treatment plant. Project elements Matthew Zager, P.E. included collection system and treatment master planning, design, permitting, and Corps of Engineers construction phase services for this significant expansion. Presentation will highlight (309) 794-5218 some major project challenges including tight schedule, construction sequencing to [email protected] maintain existing treatment, and subsurface and groundwater conditions. Treasurer Candice Bark, P.E. SPECIFICS: Stanley Consultants, Inc. MEETING DATE: Thursday, 2012 November 8 (563) 264-6656 LOCATION: Clarion Hotel, Harvest A Room [email protected] 2915 North Highway 61 Secretary Muscatine, IA 52761 Justin Johnson, P.E. AGENDA: City of Rock Island (309) 732-2225 5:30 Social Time/ Cash Bar [email protected] 6:00 Dinner 6:30 Presentation At-Large Representative Greg Shuger, P.E. COST: $20 Stanley Consultants, Inc. RESERVATIONS: RSVP by Nov. 2 to: (563) 264-6753 Alan Palmer [email protected] Stanley Consultants, Inc. [email protected] Telephone 563-264-6673

QCESC Events:

Hockey Night Nov. 9 (see page 4)

Other Upcoming Events:

Race to Renewal (see page 5)

ASCE's 2012 Section Renewal Race has started! I hope you'll join in the Quad City Section effort to earn the winning prize and keep our Section thriving. A few years ago, our section won $1,250 for the Small Section competition. Let’s resume our winning ways! The extra money helped us award 2 college scholarships at the conclusion of the school year. Go to www.asce.org/finishline to encourage other Section and Branch members to renew and boost our chances to win $1,000 to support our local activities. The Section with the highest percentage of renewed members by December 14, 2012 will win a cash prize of $1000! A total of three $1,000 prizes will be awarded to an ASCE Section from each category (Large, Medium, Small). Results will be posted and updated at www.asce.org/finishline regularly to monitor progress and keep a lively spirit of competition! Now it's Ready…Set…Go to www.asce.org/finishline! Thank you in advance for your continued membership and support of the Quad City Section.

SEI Meeting

Damping and Motion Control in Buildings and Bridges - A Live ASCE Webinar

Description: Modern structures are trending to be lighter and more efficient from a construction-materials perspective. However, this trend has led to higher levels of vibration due to forces from wind or usage. In addition, novel structural systems and higher strength materials have allowed designers to construct more slender, motion-susceptible structures. While traditional engineering methods involve iterating stiffness and mass properties, these are often insufficient in reducing vibration of structures, making dissipating energy (adding damping) a useful tool for design engineers. The webinar discusses history of motion control and damping and motion control basics. After attending this webinar, you will better understand vibration concepts in relation to how structures become motion- sensitive. http://www.asce.org/Continuing-Education/Brochures/Webinars/Damping-and-Motion-Control-in-Buildings- and-Bridges/

Meeting Date: Friday November 30th Location: Western Illinois University River Front Campus, Room 111 3300 River Drive Moline, Illinois Agenda: 10:30 start of live webinar 12:00 Lunch Menu: Pizza and Soda Cost: $5 (cost of food) Webinar is free as a benefit of SEI Reservations: RSVP by EOB November 26th to: Eric Reinsch KJWW Engineering [email protected] Phone 309-793-3586

In order to reduce expenses, the Quad City Section sends its newsletters in electronic format only. If you are aware of a fellow Quad City Section Member that does not receive the newsletter, it means that ASCE National does not have their email address. To receive the newsletter, members must keep their email information current by contacting ASCE at 800.548.2723 or by visiting the Members Only section of the ASCE website at http://www.asce.org/membersonly. The Quad City Section does not sell email information to anyone. ASCE’s Privacy Statement is available on the ASCE website. ASCE-SAME Engineering Conference Recap: ASCE and SAME hosted the annual Engineering Conference in October. The event was well attended, and the presenters covered some interesting and engaging topics. Thank you to Mr. Mike Ryan, all the members of the planning committee, the presenters, and the Clarion Conference Center staff for a well done event!

Local News: The Quad-Cities Section gladly welcomes Mr. Eric Reinsch as the new Outreach Coordinator! In this appointed position Mr. Reinsch will serve as an extended Board of Directors member. His duties shall include communicating continuing education opportunities with members, promoting civil engineering as a profession with the public, interacting with other ASCE entities on education policy as necessary, recruitment of new members by canvassing employers of civil engineers for non-members and establishing an occasional social event to build enthusiasm and inform potential members of the benefits of joining the section. Mr. Reinsch is a structural engineer employed with KJWW Engineering Consultants for the last 6 years. He also currently serves as the president of the Structural Engineering Institute – Quad- Cities (SEI-QC).

Letter to Quad Cities Section from US Senator Tom Harkin – Iowa (see Pages 6-7)

“HOCKEY NIGHT / President Reception 2012” Friday, November 9, 2012 Join the Quad City Chapter of ASM International at center ice for a special evening combining professional presentations with professional hockey. This event provides a great opportunity for you to talk business in a social setting, so invite your family, friends, co-workers, suppliers and customers. Space is limited so register early!

Location of the Meeting and Dinner: Location of Quad City Mallards Hockey Game: Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse (Metro Room) iWireless Center (formerly the Mark of the QC) 1300 River Drive 1201 River Drive Moline, IL (309)736-0100 Moline, IL (309) 764-2001 *FREE parking at bus station. Tell attendant you are at Johnny’s Program Agenda: 4:45 - 5:30 p.m.: Registration, Networking/Socializing Session @ Metro Room (Johnny’s) 5:30 - 5:35 p.m.: Welcome from Mallards Management 5:35 - 6:10 p.m.: Presentation …. “Network to build your personal brand, organization & connections” -Explore strategies to add value your professional & personal skill sets 6:10 - 7:05 p.m.: Buffet-style dinner 7:05 - 9:30 p.m.: Hockey Game: Bloomington Blaze vs. Quad City Mallards

Speaker: Nicole Martin-Cline a Dale Carnegie Consultant trainer in the North Central States. She specializes in providing counsel and training to clients on such topics as team member engagement, leadership team collaboration, organizational alignment, conflict resolution, sales, customer service, communication effectiveness, and cultural impact. Nicole is a member of many societies & organizations. Also, a recipient of several awards, and has a bachelor’s degree in business from DeVry University.

Event Cost: Sponsorship Opportunities: (not available? … you can still participate) $25 -includes dinner, speaker, game tix $20 – period sponsor $250 – engineer sponsor $17 -dinner & speaker only $50 – game sponsor $500 – president sponsor $10 -speaker only $100 – mallard sponsor $1000 – event sponsor

“Promote your organization” by donating promotional products / gifts for auction or prizes

Fundraising contributions will support student scholarships and engineering educational programs

To Register Online: http://www.qcesc.org/HockeyNight.htm QCESC To Register by Mail: -Make check payable to: ASM International ($10 discount for ASM members) -Include name, company, phone, email and society on registration info QCESC -Mail to: Barry Murchie QET Consultants PO Box 353 (Attn- ASM) Bettendorf, IA 52722 @QCESC

*Registration ends November 2th

Questions: Email: [email protected] Phone: (563)359-7771 In order to reduce expenses, the Quad City Section sends its newsletters in electronic format only. If you are aware of a fellow Quad City Section Member that does not receive the newsletter, it means that ASCE National does not have their email address. To receive the newsletter, members must keep their email information current by contacting ASCE at 800.548.2723 or by visiting the Members Only section of the ASCE website at http://www.asce.org/membersonly. The Quad City Section does not sell email information to anyone. ASCE’s Privacy Statement is available on the ASCE website. 2012 ASCE SECTION RENEWAL The Race Is On. Fast Track Our Section to Win $1,000! The three Sections with the highest percentage of renewed members by December 14, 2012, will win a cash prize of $1,000!

Get into the Renewal Race today, pay your National and Section dues, and keep our Section on pace to win $1,000. Your renewal supports valuable local programs and is always appreciated!

Renew your ASCE membership by December 14, 2012 — and encourage fellow Section members to do the same! Go to www.asce.org/finishline. For contest rules, go to www.asce.org/finishline/rules.

To pay for your office, agency, or company with a single invoice/payment, contact [email protected]. September 6, 2012

Mr. Matthew Zager 344 Forest Rd Davenport, IA 52803-3615

Dear Matthew:

On Friday, June 29, Congress passed a bill that will provide $105 billion for the nation's surface transportation programs over the next 27 months. While I did not agree with everything contained in this legislation, known as MAP-21, I was pleased that lawmakers were able to agree on a long-term extension that will create jobs and help to improve our nation's competitiveness.

This legislation focuses on critical national priorities, such as improving road and bridge conditions, reducing congestion, reducing fatalities, increasing system reliability, and improving freight movement. I have long supported such investments in our nation's infrastructure. Maintaining our roads, bridges, and other assets offers a host of short- and long-term benefits. In addition to ensuring Iowans have safe, efficient means to travel, infrastructure investments result in considerable advantages for our economy. It is estimated that MAP-21 will save or create up to 3 million jobs.

Most experts think that we need to significantly increase spending in order to restore and maintain our existing infrastructure, while also strategically investing in new projects that will provide the pathway for future economic growth. Thus, I was pleased that current funding levels were extended for most programs through September 2014, when Congress will revisit these policies. While level funding is a major accomplishment given that many members of the House advocated for large reductions to highway and transit funding, I strongly believe that, in order to boost our economy, we should be increasing our investment in our nation's infrastructure. As such, I vehemently opposed such proposed cuts.

This law will enable Iowa, which will receive more than $450 million dollars for highway programs in 2013, to continue to invest in roads, bridges, and other critical infrastructure. One clear sign of the essential nature of these investments came from a recent report showing that Iowa ranked 48th out of 50 states in the quality of its bridges, with one in five bridges deemed as "structurally deficient" and requiring significant maintenance or replacement.

This law will enable state and local transportation authorities to continue to work to upgrade these bridges and ensure the safety of people that drive on them every day. I was particularly pleased that this legislation will continue to provide federal funds for the maintenance of bridges off the federal highway system, which some lawmakers had proposed removing from the bill.

I was also pleased that the law will provide for increased flexibility for state transportation agencies and faster approval processes for new projects, while also maintaining important health and environmental safeguards. This means that many projects will be completed without unnecessary and costly delays. The law also provides accountability for how tax dollars are spent on transportation projects to minimize waste and ensure that taxpayers get the biggest "bang for their buck."

I did not agree with several provisions in this legislation, and I hope to make changes to the law when it is reconsidered by Congress in 2014. First, I was disappointed that the new legislation did not maintain dedicated funding for alternative transportation uses such as pedestrian walkways, bicycle pathways, and safe routes to school for our children. While there will still be some funds available for these items, some funding that was previously dedicated to such priorities could now be shifted to other activities. Under the new law, state-level authorities will have more discretion regarding the use of funding for a range of projects, not just bicycle and pedestrian-related projects. With this in mind, it will be In order to reduce expenses, the Quad City Section sends its newsletters in electronic format only. If you are aware of a fellow Quad City Section Member that does not receive the newsletter, it means that ASCE National does not have their email address. To receive the newsletter, members must keep their email information current by contacting ASCE at 800.548.2723 or by visiting the Members Only section of the ASCE website at http://www.asce.org/membersonly. The Quad City Section does not sell email information to anyone. ASCE’s Privacy Statement is available on the ASCE website. important for Iowans who value these activities to express to local planning authorities and the Iowa Department of Transportation their views that funding for such projects be maintained.

I was also disappointed that MAP-21 will reduce the amount of dollars available to Iowa transit authorities for the purchase of new buses. Buses play a crucial role in providing for mobility of the elderly, people with disabilities, and people who do not have access to a car. I worked for months with senators from other rural states to secure increased funding levels for rural bus systems, but unfortunately was unable to overcome efforts by more urban states to use that funding for rail transit systems. While I support improving and developing rail-based transit across the country, doing so must not come at the expense of existing transit systems that rely more heavily on buses.

Despite these misgivings, overall I consider this legislation to be a positive step forward for Iowa and our country. It once again shows that when lawmakers in Washington are willing to put political differences aside and focus on solving problems, we can accomplish big things.

Sincerely,

Tom Harkin United States Senator