Orange County Branch Newsletter

June 2015

Secretary's Column

A month in the life of the ASCE OC Branch Secretary

By Greg Henk, PE

It’s been another busy month as your Branch Secretary.  In addition to the typical administrative tasks, I have been involved in Community Outreach (Safari Park, Corazon, National Forest and HomeAid), K-12 Activities and Branch History.

We have advanced the San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park Bridge Railings retrofit project by signing a MOU (with the Park and EWB-OC), defining basic design criteria, developing a construction approach including contracting out and self (Society) construction and defining a potential fundraising program.

Corazon is home building program in Mexico.  EWB-OC and ASCE-OC have agreed to help develop a Sanitation element to the homes (both new and retrofit) and for their developing community centers in Tecate, Mexico.

The US Forest Service has a National Partnership Program which ASCE-OC together with EWB-OC has pursued.  We have identified a campground retrofit project along with potential work-Saturday programs which may include working with Los Angeles disadvantaged youth programs, in the Angeles National Forest.

Member volunteers are sought for each of these projects.  Please contact me (GregoryHenk@Gmail.com 949-292-2505) if you are willing to help out in any capacity.

A number of us from ASCE-OC helped out HomeAid in their annual Volunteer Day involving a massive amount of sorting including over a million diapers! Don't miss Past President Penny Lew's article on the HomeAid event in this newsletter.

 

I met with the YMF K-12 Committee to listen to the upcoming annual program.  I also reviewed the winning Spaghetti Bridge contest at Cal State Fullerton.  And had a great time participating in a third grade Lego building/shake table program in Anaheim.

Finally, I helped arrange for an upcoming August 15th morning hike in Peters Canyon to commemorate the ASCE-OC Historic Civil Engineering Landmark regarding the Irvine Ranch Irrigation System.  Be prepared to sign up and join the fun.