Marty Helly, CSI, CDT
October already. Leaves are falling. Geese are migrating. The television is full of negative ads about the opposition. Pundits are all declaring winners and losers and voicing their opinions on results for elections that haven’t happened yet. This year those are the only things that feel semi-normal and they’re as scary as the Halloween that is fast approaching (and likely won’t happen.)
A focus on the positive – generally only a few of our members can participate in CSI’s national activities. Since the in person convention activities were cancelled, many of the education sessions are being held live online this month and afterward can be watched at your convenience and at no cost. Go to https://www.constructshow.com/virtual/en/home.html to check out the offerings. And if you take time to fill out the feedback surveys, make a point of thanking the CSI member presenters for sharing their knowledge with the rest of the construction community.
Watching one of the presentations, I was struck by how much knowledge those of us with decades of experience can take for granted, as well as how it’s essential that we keep up to date on technology. The problems are the same as they’ve always been, but the demands for higher performance and the materials available continually get more complex. The time allotted for our successors to learn everything also seems to shrink. Keep that in mind, share what you know and don’t be afraid to learn something new.
A huge thank you to Steve Van Dyke for his presentation last month. His passion for Worcester and its architectural history are on display each year he brings us the Architectural Scavenger Hunt. Those who attend benefit from a unique educational and fun experience. Experiencing the buildings first-hand, learning about their construction and the people and times that created them, seeing our city from a new up close and personal perspective. While our teams were much smaller than normal and we kept well apart during dinner, it was a well-attended and successful meeting for the chapter.
Once again we have to limit our attendees for the monthly chapter meeting. Please RSVP to Terri at neregcsi@gmail.com so that you can attend. Len Anastasi has a ton of experience in building envelope technology to share – and we all want to build walls that don’t leak!
I look forward to hearing from you and seeing folks on the 20th at Leo’s. Until then, watch out for falling leaves – and that stuff that drops below the migrating geese.