President's Letter

Dear SENH members, sponsors, and colleages,

Your projects are excellent! And 'tis the season to celebrate!

January kicks off the Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards program, and we can't wait to hear about your projects. Starting with last year's program, awards will be given to ALL projects that the jury deems to be excellent, whereas in the past, the award was given only to the most excellent. Awards will be presented at our annual meeting in May - that is one event you don't want to miss.

This newsletter has many important updates, including proposed State legislation that impacts Structural Engineers - please read in the Code Advisory Committee update. And we are looking for one of our members to fill a vacancy and serve as our Legislative Liaison - an important job that ensures SENH expert opinions are heard as our State Senators and Representatives craft and consider legislation. Please reach out to me if you would like to be considered.

We look forward to seeing you at the upcoming meeting with the NHDOT Bureau of Bridge Design.

Thank you,
Dan Martel, PE
President, SENH

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Calendar of Events

NHDOT Bridge Program Update

February 12, 2026
5:30 - 9:00 PM

Red Blazer Restaurant & Pub
72 Manchester Street
Concord, NH 03301

Presentation: NHDOT Bridge Program Update - Find out what has been going on at NHDOT and what is on the horizon.

Speaker: David Scott, PE - Administrator, Bureau of Bridge Design at NHDOT

Agenda:

5:30 - 6:30 PM Registration and Social Hour

6:30 - 7:15 PM Dinner

7:15 - 7:30 PM Business Meeting

7:30 - 8:30 PM Presentations

Dinner: Buffet with choice of beef tips Bordelaise with mushrooms, baked stuffed chicken, and broiled haddock served with fresh garden salad, dinner rolls with cinnamon honey butter, mashed potato, rice pilaf, vegetable du jour and assorted desserts. If you have any food allergies or dietary restrictions, please email the Professional Development Committee at [email protected]

Parking: Parking is available at the Red Blazer

Tickets:

$75 Member Ticket
$85 after 5:00 PM on February 6

$95 Member Ticket+ 1 Pack Raffle
$105 after 5:00 PM on February 6

$105 Non-Member Ticket
$115 after 5:00 PM on February 6

$20 Student Ticket
$30 after 5:00 PM on February 6

$20 Retired Member Ticket
$30 after 5:00 PM on February 6

$20 Government Employee Ticket
$30 after 5:00 PM on February 6

Raffle Tickets:

$25 1 pack raffle tickets

$45 2 packs raffle tickets

$65 3 packs raffle tickets

$100 5 packs raffle tickets

Register: By 5:00 PM on Friday, February 6, 2026. There will be a $10.00 late fee for anyone wishing to register past this date.

Note: 2.0 PDHs have been assigned for attendance. Attendees are responsible for ensuring their check-in on the attendance list upon arrival at the meeting.

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Committee Updates

Code Advisory Committee

Chair: Dan Martel PE; Members: Joaquin Denoya PE, Tom Lamb PE, Lily Beyer PE
Board Liaison: Dan Martel PE

The Code Advisory Committee has been hard at work responding to proposed legislation that potentially has significant impact on structural engineers and their designs. We have been involved in several discussions with the many parties involved in wood construction about legislation that aims to encourage the use of US/NH-grown Spruce-Pine-Fir-South lumber in lieu of Canadian-grown Spruce-Pine-Fir that is commonly stocked and framed within our region. A huge shout out to Tom Lamb and Lily Beyer, who have volunteered much time to track, discuss, and respond to this legislation. First, an update on the 2024 Building Codes:

House Bill 1159 – proposes to upgrade the State Building Codes. Most of the 2024 ICC suite would be adopted, including the 2024 IBC and 2024 IRC. However, the 2018 International Energy Conservation Code would remain. The current language says the law would be in effect 60 days after passage (signed by the Governor) and does not include a 6-month grace period as previous bills have. We expect the bill to pass the legislature as presented and to be signed by the Governor at some point this summer. 

House Bill 1060 – proposes to provide an “alternate path to PE licensure” by substituting 4 years of PE-supervised experience with 10 years of professional experience that is not PE-supervised. We gathered opinions from SENH members, and the consensus is that the PE-supervised experience is essential and irreplaceable. Dan Martel testified and presented that opinion to the House Executive Departments and Administration Committee at the public hearing on January 22. ACEC and NHSPE also testified against the bill.

Senate Bill 503 – the bill as originally proposed contradicts code-referenced grading rules by allowing all qualifying lumber harvested above latitude 42 degrees 40 minutes in New Hampshire to be considered Spruce-Pine-Fir. This ostensibly moves the SPF/SPFs line from the Canadian border to Tamworth-ish. We understand that some New Hampshire-harvested lumber may be of similar strength as Spruce-Pine-Fir, which would make it easier to use for projects in the state. But as written the approach does not take into account that the two species groups allow different lumber and that the mixes of species harvested in the US is different than the mix of species harvested in the US.  Due to this and no supporting data being presented to equate lumber grown north of 42 degrees 40 minutes we are of the opinion that this bill would reduce building safety.  If the Mills in NH feel that their lumber is better than the commodity SPFs product, then there are alternatives to grade that lumber properly to support this theory.  On such option as mechanically graded lumber.  If the proponents of this bill disagree with the test results and/or methods of testing to determine SPSs design values we feel the proper path is through the American Lumber Standards Committee (ALSC), who is charged by the US Department of Commerce to regulate softwood grading, to alter the standards as applicable, instead of NH law usurping it.

Additionally, this proposal essentially outlaws the use of SPF design values by stating “SPFS lumber harvested in New Hampshire……shall be accepted wherever spruce-pine-fir is specified. Structural design…shall use published SPFS design values.”  The bill then further conflicts with previous language when it states, “this section shall not be construed to prohibit the use of SPF lumber” We oppose this confusing, restrictive and seemingly unenforceable language.

Dan Martel testified in opposition to this bill at the Senate Commerce Committee Hearing on January 27. We understand the bill has broad support, so we expect it to pass the Committee and be sent to the full senate. We plan to testify at the Senate if the bill proceeds as written. 

Senate Bill 529 – requiring a preference be given to lumber sourced in the United States for all state-funded building projects. The NH Retail Lumber Association is the proponent of this bill, and their goal is to encourage engineers to use NH-harvested Spruce-Pine-Fir-South when possible. Structural Engineers would not be required to use SPFs but may be required to provide it as an alternative.  SENH has not taken a position either way (we don’t object to “buy local” requirements), but we are offering adjustments to the language to ensure it could be practically implemented and reasonably enforced.

House Bill 1204 – the bill as originally proposed contradicts code-referenced grading rules by allowing all qualifying lumber harvested above latitude 44 in New Hampshire to be considered Spruce-Pine-Fir. This ostensibly moves the SPF/SPFs line from the Canadian border to Tamworth-ish. We understand that some New Hampshire-harvested lumber may be of similar strength as Spruce-Pine-Fir, which would make it easier to use for projects in the state. But as written the approach does not consider that the mix and percentage of different species harvested in the US is different than the mix of species harvested in the US.  This mix affects the current design values.  Due to this and no supporting data being presented to equate lumber grown north of the 44 parallel we are of the opinion that this bill would reduce building safety.  If the Mills in NH feel that their lumber is better than the commodity SPFs product then there are alternatives to grade that lumber properly to support this theory.  On such option as mechanically graded lumber.  If the proponents of this bill disagree with the test results and/or methods of testing to determine SPSs design values then we feel the proper path is through the American Lumber Standards Committee (ALSC), who is charged by the US Department of Commerce to regulate softwood grading, to alter the standards as applicable, instead of NH law usurping it. Additionally, we feel this bill is premature given that a proposal to change the specific gravity of SPFs is eminent and other design values may also change in the future based on thousands of tests conducted by NELMA.

Dan Martel testified in opposition to this bill at the House Resources, Recreation and Development Committee Hearing on February 4. We plan to testify again if the bill passes the Committee and is brought before the full House of Representatives.

Public Relations Committee

Chair: Sean Brown PE; Members: Bob Durfee PE

Announcement for the February 12 meeting:

SENH will hold a raffle at our upcoming meeting to raise money for our scholarship fund. Raffle tickets can be purchased online (details will be included in a following email) or with cash and Venmo at the door. All proceeds go towards the SENH scholarship program. As a quick reminder, SENH awards up to two $1,000 scholarships each year to college students who are pursuing courses in structural engineering. To continue to support the next generation of structural engineers, we are excited to offer the following prizes for this year's raffle event:

2 - mid-week Lift Tickets to Gunstock Mountain (Courtesy of Bob Durfee and Gunstock Mountain)

2 - mid-week Lift Tickets to Gunstock Mountain (Courtesy of Bob Durfee and Gunstock Mountain)

1 - $200 Voucher to Bretton Woods (Courtesy of H&H)

1 - H&H Swag Bag (Courtesy of - you guessed it - H&H)

2 - Raffle Prizes, May Include a Bluetooth Speaker, Visa Gift Card, or Fisher Cats Tickets (Courtesy of Hoyle Tanner)

1 - $150 Gift Card to Angelina's Ristorante Italiano (Courtesy of Turner Group)

Thank you in advance to our members for participating in the raffle and to the generous organizations who have donated prizes!

Interested in donating to the scholarship fund? Click here!

SENH Sponsorship - NHDOT Popsicle Bridge Contest:

This year, SENH proudly sponsored prizes for the annual NHDOT student Popsicle Stick Bridge Competition. Hosted in Concord, this exciting STEM contest consists of teams of local high school students designing and constructing these bridges in the weeks leading up to the competition. And true to the name, these bridges must be made exclusively from popsicle sticks, hot glue, and creativity.

On testing day, the student teams assemble with their bridges which are first judged for overall design. Following aesthetics judging, bridges are weighed then loaded to failure with a custom-built bridge loading rig (credit to Dr. Ray Cook). The winning bridge in this year's strength competition was built by Concord High School and held an impressive 320 lbs with a self-weight of less than 1.5 lbs.

Engaging STEM activities, such as these are a key way we can develop the next generation of structural engineers and promote our profession. Our thanks to NHDOT for organizing this annual competition, and to our treasurer Rebecca Lubrano for awarding gift cards donated by SENH to the winning teams.

Structural Engineering Excellence Awards Committee

Chair: Josif Bicja PE; Members: Fred Emanuel PE; Bob Durfee PE

Board Liaison: Dan Martel PE

The committee has issued the Call For Entries for the 2026 SENH Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards Program. The deadline for entries has been rescheduled to March 2026. See call for entries on the SENH website for further information and entry requirements.

The Committee will make a presentation on the Awards Program at the February 12, 2026 meeting in Concord.

The Committee is seeking new members to fill one or more vacancies on this committee. Contact President Dan Martel ([email protected]) or Committee Chair Bob Durfee ([email protected]) if you are interested in serving on this committee.

Membership Committee

Chair: Dan Martel PE; Members: Rebecca Lubrano PE, Michael Richard PE
Board Liaison: Dan Martel PE

It's renewal season! Let's build another strong year together!

Your membership and engagement are what keeps SENH thriving, and we have much to accomplish in 2026.

Please take a few minutes to renew your membership now. A big thank you to everyone who has already renewed for 2026 - we appreciate your continued commitment to our mission of providing education, advocating for the profession, and raising the tide for all structural engineers.

Young Members Group

Co-chairs: Dustin Wells, Oliver Soares

Upcoming Event - Ski with SEAMASS

The SENH Younger Member's Group with be joining SEAMASS's Younger Member's Group in a joint skiing event at Mount Sunapee on Saturday, February 28th! Anyone who is interested in joining, please reach out to either of your SENH Younger Member Group Chairs and inform them of your intent to join so they can coordinate details with all attendees. There may be a social hour after the event, the details of which are to be determined based on expected attendance.

Upcoming Event at Tour Golf & Grill

The Younger Members Group will be hosting a golf and happy hour event at Tour Golf & Grill in Portsmouth on Tuesday March 10th from 6:00-7:30! We will be sponsoring appetizers and one hour of golfing at their golf simulator. If you don't play golf, no worries, you're still welcome to join and network at a table space included with our golfing bay!

Past Event - Bowling at Stiker's East

The Younger Member's Group would like to thank all who were able to attend the bowling event at Striker's East last November! Attendees enjoyed a night of appetizers, beverages, bowling, and engineering comradery!

Thank you and please reach out to your Younger Members Group Co-Chairs with any suggestions, questions, or concerns:

Oliver Soares
[email protected]

Dustin Wells
[email protected]

SENH Appointments

Joint Committee of NH Engineering Societies

SENH Representative: Tim Polson, PE
Board Liaison: Dan Martel PE

Because of lack of interest, the Joint Committee of NH Engineering Societies recently voted not to organize the annual conference hereafter.

National Council of Structural Engineer Associations (NCSEA)

Delegate: Bob Durfee PE; Alternate Delegates: Tom Lamb PE, Kayla Hampe PE

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Last Meeting Attendance List & Meeting Minutes

Student and Member Presentations at UNH

November 19, 2025, 5:30 - 9:00 PM @ UNH DeMeritt Hall Room 112, Durham, NH

Attendees listed below are awarded 2.0 PDHs by SENH

Minutes recorded by Dan Martel, President

Business Meeting

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