September 2001
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Philadelphia Section
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| Chair’s Letter
This is my first letter to the membership of the
Philadelphia Section. I follow in the considerably large footsteps of my
immediate predecessor, Nelson Macken, who served for two years as Section
chairman and did an outstanding job in this capacity. Through his efforts,
and those of the executive committee, I look forward to a very productive
and enriching year of activities for our approximately 2000 members. As in
the past, this year we will focus on: |
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| Membership
Renewals It's that time of the year when members have received the membership renewal forms from ASME. If you have not already done so, please find the forms and send in the membership fees for the coming year. Considering the benefits and programs available to our members, ASME's annual membership fee is the most reasonable of all the major technical societies. Note that you have until January 2001 to renew before you will be dropped from the official membership roster. But please don't wait that long. If you want you can renew your membership online at ASME.ORG. The online form is quick and easy to use and it is secure for credit card payment. Every year the Philadelphia section looses 1 to 2% of members. Most of the loss is due to members moving to other sections and some of the loss is offset by new people moving to our area. But an analysis also indicates that we are loosing some members due to retirement. If you are ready for retirement this year, please consider maintaining your membership. There are many payment options available for retired members which can reduce membership dues to very low levels. If you have questions about these plans, look at the ASME web sight (ASME.ORG) or call 800 THE ASME. The Philadelphia section does not want to loose the expertise that our members have. Nominations for Engineer of the Year and ASME Fellow The section is continuing its request for nominations for next year's Engineer of the Year. If you know someone who could be nominated, please contact one of the members of the executive committee listed in the next column. The person must be an ASME member in order for the society to sponsor them. The other requirements are what you would expect. They must have significant achievements to justify Engineer of the Year. The achievements can be technical, managerial or academic. The person should also have some activities outside of the professional area. The section is also soliciting nominations for ASME Fellow. The requirements for Fellow are similar to Engineer of the Year but the process is less public. The Fellow Grade is the highest elected grade of membership within ASME, the attainment of which recognizes exceptional engineering achievements and contributions to the engineering profession. A detailed description of the requirements and nominating process is available at http://www.asme.org/member/fellow/. If you know of someone who matches the requirements, contact one of the section officers. Industry Notes FERC The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has proposed a new set of regulations to create large electric transmission grids to ease the flow of electricity between regions. FERC has proposed creating 4 regional grids covering the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest and West areas of the United |
States. Currently there are numerous grid operators in each of these areas. For example, in the Northeast there are three nonprofit independent service operators (ISO), which operate transmission lines owned by local utilities. PJM Interconnection, which is based in Norristown, is considered to have the most successful distribution system. FERC is proposing the PJM system as the model interconnect system for the Northeast.
In December 1999, FERC issued Order 2000, which
urged utilities to voluntarily surrender control of their transmission sytems
to grid organizations, which would run daily markets for power and manage
the flow of electricity across regions. In the latest step, FERC is requesting
utilities in the Northeast and Southeast regions to meet with FERC mediators
by September to develop plans for the two regional grids. The Midwest and
West would be included later. |
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| Shaw Group
The Shaw Group Inc has announced that it has signed a contract with FPL Energy, LLC, a subsidiary of FPL Group, Inc., for the construction of a 725 megawatt co-generation power plant. Shaw will execute the engineering, procurement and construction services for the project which is located in the Sunoco Co. refinery in Marcus Hook. The Shaw Group's Stone and Webster office in Cherry Hill, New Jersey will take the lead in the project. The power plant will be a co-generation natural gas fired facility that will utilize three GE 7FA turbines, along with three heat recovery steam generators, and one steam turbine. Engineering will start immediately and the plant is scheduled be completed in early 2004. For more information on Shaw, please visit their website at www.shawgrp.com. STV Group STV Group Inc., based in Pottstown, is making a move to take the company private in a $27 million transaction. STV management wants to create an employee stock ownership plan, or ESOP, as part of the transaction. The company is offering holders of its stock $11.25 a share, a 110 percent premium on the share market price the date the plan to go private was announced. Management hoped to close the deal by August. The company's origins go back decades. It was established in 1945 as Sanders and Thomas, a four-person firm in Pottstown, Montgomery County. In 1968, Sanders and Thomas merged with Voss Engineering Co., an equipment manufacturer, forming STV Inc., which eventually evolved into STV Group. In 1972, it bought a New York City-based engineering and planning company, Seelye Stevenson Value and Knecht, in what would become its first major acquisition. It later expanded overseas with other acquisitions and now employs 1,161 people. Last year, the company counted the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the New York City Department of Design and Construction and the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority as its top clients. For more than 30 years, the company's work has focused on highways, bridges, airports and ports; many of the projects on which it is engaged are considered high profile in the area in which they are taking place. STV is a thinly traded security and insiders already control a majority of the company's shares. STV hopes to complete the ESOP by this fall. Washington Group The Washington Group, which last year bought Raytheon Engineers and Constructors from the Raytheon Company, has entered bankruptcy as a result of losses and cash flow problems caused by the purchase. The company filed for Chapter 11 protection in mid-May to allow for restructuring the company's business. The filing requires that all the equity in the new company will be owned by the company's lenders. |
In the intervening months, Washington Group
and Raytheon have been involved in increasingly complicated legal sparring.
Washington Group is trying to get court ordered relief from the original
purchase agreement, which it says imposed financial obligations which were
hidden by Raytheon before the sale. A federal judge has stated that Price
Waterhouse Coopers has used stalling tactics in turning over Washington requested
information. Two other large accounting firms, Ernst and Young and Deloitte
and Touche, are now involved in reviewing financial data involved in the
transaction. |
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The courses include a wide range of offerings
in the electrical, construction and mechanical design areas. The courses
start the end of September and continue for 8 to 10 weeks. Courses are given
in Center City. For more information, contact Tom Payne at 215 985 5701 or
see the club's web site at www.engrclub.org. |
Chair's letter, we have many activities scheduled
for this year. We also have a core group of about 15 members who work on
these activities. But we would like to expand and improve our current efforts
and also add more projects to improve services to members and engineering
awareness in the Philadelphia. You will find it interesting and at times
even exciting. If you want to get involved, contact any of the names to the
right. |
Philadelphia Section September Tour |
| Location: Kvaerner Shipyard, Foot of Broad
Street, Philadelphia Last year the section sponsored a tour of the shipyard in Philadelphia and the response was overwhelming. To accommodate all the people who wanted to see the shipyard, Kvaerner has agreed to another tour. The number is limited to 20 people, so please call early. Please wear sturdy shoes. Call Lana Vernati at Villanova University (610 519 4980) by September 22 to make reservations. Directions: The ship yard is at the southern end of Broad Street in Philadelphia. Take the Broad Street exit from I95. Go south on Broad Street. Check in with the main gate of the Naval Business Center and then proceed through the base to Kitty Hawk Avenue. Turn right at the Kvaerner sign and proceed to the Kvaerner Shipyard. Go through the gate and immediately turn left. Proceed to security gate and sign in. Instructions to the presentation and tour will be at the gate. Please be at the Kvaerner gate by 4:45PM. |