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August 2014 - President's Message

What a great summer we are having! Our Joint Meeting with the Fort Worth Branch was a huge success.  We had close to 300 in attendance for the luncheon and approximately 150 in attendance for the morning technical sessions.  We are so very happy to be able to put programs together like this to demonstrate value to our members (and potential members).  I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to thank the Dallas Branch and Fort Worth Branch Board members who put so much of their personal time into planning this event.  You all put together a very worthwhile event, and your efforts are very much appreciated. 

As I mentioned at the Joint Meeting, we will not be meeting at the Addison Marriott this month.  The hotel is currently undergoing some renovations, and are unable to accommodate our group this month, and potentially in September as well.  In an effort to minimize bouncing back and forth between different hotels, we have been looking for a hotel that can accommodate our group for both months, and have been successful.  The Crowne Plaza Dallas Near Galleria-Addison is available to host our event for both August and September.  Unfortunately, they are booked the second Monday of August, which is why we are having to meet the first Monday of August.  The Dallas Board apologizes for the confusion that this may have caused to our members, and hope that this will not deter you from attending.  As always, we strive to provide worthwhile topics for our luncheons, and August is no exception.  We will have a speaker from the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) give an update on what is going on at the agency. We will also be offering two technical sessions, one before lunch and one after lunch.

One final note on the Crowne Plaza Dallas for those that have special dietary requests for their meal.  If you request a vegetarian/gluten-free/non-pork/etc. meal through registration, you will need to pick up a ticket at the registration desk that indicates the requested meal and hand it to your waiter when you are being served.  This is a policy enforced by the hotel, and they will not give a meal with special dietary requests to anyone without a ticket, as they do not prepare extra and want to ensure that the meal goes to the person that requested it.  That being said, if you have special dietary requests, you will need to pre-register online so that we have record of the request and can pass that information on to the hotel. 
 
See you August 4, 2014 at the Crowne Plaza Dallas!

Kristin Green, PE, ISI ENV-SP
President
ASCE Dallas Branch, 2013-2014