July 8, 1999

SENH PRESIDENT’S NEWS LETTER      

Greetings to all members!

Summer is upon us and I hope you all are enjoying what our beautiful State of New Hampshire has to offer us during this season.  The Board of Directors continues to be active during the summer planning activities for the membership.   Read on in this Newsletter to find out what is going on the organization.

September, 1999 Meeting

The next membership meeting will held on Thursday, September 16, 1999 in Nashua, NH.  Our speakers will be Mr. Emile Troup, P.E., and the Strucutral Steel Fabricators of New England (SSFNE) who will provide a round table discussion on steel connections, shop drawings for connections, and the need for a national standard for steel shop drawings. This should prove to be a very informative meeting and will give the membership an opportunity to provide feedback to SSFNE and NCSCA on this topic.  More information on this meeting will be provided in the next mailing.

May 11, 1999 Meeting

Our annual meeting was held in Manchester. Mr. Peter Stamnas, P.E., Mr. James Moore, P.E., and Mr. Darren Conboy, P.E. gave a very informative presentation on “Integral Abutment Bridge Design”.  Technical handouts were provided on several design issues relating to integral abutment bridges.  After the presentations a lively Question and Answer period ensued.  Minutes of this meeting are provided in this mailing. 

Association Officers

At the June 24^th Board of Directors Meeting, the Board elected the following Officers:

President - Robert H. Durfee, P.E.
            Vice President – Dennis R. LaBombard, P.E.
            Secretary - Ben B. Tirey, P.E.
            Treasurer - Ray S. Cowen, P.E.
            Director at Large - David K. Konieczny, P.E.

Future Meeting Dates

The Board of Directors announce the following meeting dates for the coming year:

Snow Load Mapping Committee

The snow load mapping committee is moving ahead to complete their evaluations and publish their results.  The committee would like to thank the following organizations and consulting firms who contributed financially to make this possible:

If your firm has been contacted by SENH and have made a pledge to this cause, please send in your check so that the committee may have the funds available to publish the results. 

Student Chapter Committee

The Board of Directors has accepted the recommendation of the Student Chapter Committee to create a Student membership category and to establish a liaison with the University of New Hampshire, Civil Engineering Department and the New Hampshire Vocational Technical College.  Enclosed is a survey form that the committee would like individual members or firms to complete and return to the committee. The Committee would like to evaluate what kind of programs SENH may develop with engineering and technology major students.  Please complete the enclosed survey and fax or mail to Matt Serverson, P.E., Chairman.  You may also bring your completed survey to our next meeting on September 16, 1999. If you would like to join this committee and assist with student member activities please contact Matt.

NCSEA Monthly Moments

The April/May and May/June issues of Monthly Moments are included in this mailing for your review.

NCSEA Code Advisory Committee

The NCSEA Code Advisory Committee is seeking assistance from the structural engineering community regarding the new IBC-2000 Code.  The NCSEA Committee Report is enclosed for your reading.

Top 20 Engineering Terminologies

1.         A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT APPROACHES ARE BEING TRIED
         -We are still pissing in the wind.

2.                 AN EXTENSIVE REPORT IS BEING PREPARED ON A FRESH APPROACH TO THE PROBLEM
-We just hired three kids fresh out of college.

3.                 CLOSE PROJECT COORDINATION
-We know who to blame

4.                 MAJOR TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGH
-It works OK, but looks very hi-tech

5.                 CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IS DELIVERED ASSURED
-We’re so far behind schedule that the customer is happy to get it delivered.

6.                 PRELIMINARY OPERATIONAL TESTS WERE INCONCLUSIVE
-The darn thing blew up when we turned the switch.

7.                 TEST RESULTS WERE EXTREMELY ENCOURAGING/GRATIFYING
-We are so surprised that the stupid thing works.

8.                 THE ENTIRE CONCEPT WILL HAVE TO BE ABANDONED
-The only person who understood the thing quit.

9.                 IT IS IN THE PROCESS
-It’s so wrapped up in red tape that the situation is about hopeless.

10.              WE WILL LOOK INTO IT
-Forget it! We have enough problems now.

11.              PLEASE NOTE AND INITIAL
-Let’s spread the responsibility for the screw up.

12.              GIVE US THE BENEFIT OF YOUR THINKING
-We’ll listen to what you have to say as long as it does not interfere with what we‘ve already done.

13.              GIVE US YOUR INTERPRETATION
-I can’t wait to hear this bull.

14.              SEE ME OR LET’S DISCUSS
-Come into my office, I’m lonely.

15.              ALL NEW
-Parts not interchangeable with the previous design.

16.         RUGGED       
-Too damn heavy to lift!

17.              LIGHTWEIGHT
-Lighter than RUGGED

18.              YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT
-One finally worked.

19.              ENERGY SAVING
-Achieved when the power switch is off.

20.              LOW MAINTENANCE
-Impossible to fix if broken.

Enjoy the summer!  I hope to see you all at our September 16^th meeting!

Sincerely,

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

Robert H. Durfee, P.E.

President