Friends of Infrastructure

You may have noticed that the news has been in the news lately. What reporters say about the candidates and what the candidates say about reporters can make your head spin. One might cynically conclude that’s the idea.

Few of us are running for office this year, but even in our humble lives, knowing how to get good press can be useful. Maybe your company should be recognized for a stellar project. You might be a volunteer trying to publicize your organization’s activities. Or you’re an expert who is often contacted for information and you’d like to be quoted accurately. Wouldn’t it be great if you knew some reporters you could call informally for guidance? What if you could meet some of San Diego’s best local reporters in print, radio, Internet and TV news and ask them any questions you like?

You can have that opportunity, thanks to Friends of Infrastructure and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Come to our breakfast workshop on Dealing with the Media on September 24 from 8:00 am to 11:30 am. We will meet at the Handlery Hotel and Resort (950 Hotel Circle North, San Diego, CA 92108). The workshop will start with training by Laverne Caceres, founder of The Professional Voice, in how to stay on message, avoid spin, and create positive press. The training will be followed by an outstanding media panel. Meet and learn from Mike Lee (Union Tribune), Erik Anderson (KPBS Radio), Rob Davis (Internet Voice of San Diego), and Bill Menish (recently with NBC 7/39). Get the agency perspective from John Liarakos, Media Relations Officer with the San Diego County Water Authority.

The cost is $75 at the door (check made out to ASCE). Contact Katherine Hon, Friends of Infrastructure Steering Committee Chair, at 619-294-8990, or e-mail us at info@friendsofinfrastructure.org for more information.

This is a new direction for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in San Diego, California. What makes this blog different from the more than 144,000 others that pop up when you search with the word “infrastructure”? This one is by engineers, and we are accurate, balanced, and pragmatic. We hope that won’t make this the most boring blog on the planet.

We developed our web site, Friends of Infrastructure, and this venue to share our ideas on how to be Friends of Infrastructure. Because if libraries and canyons can have friends, why not infrastructure?

But let’s face it, friends often take things for granted. Did you drive on a road free of potholes today? Did the signs and signals keep those other (crazy) drivers under control? When you turned on your faucet, did you get all the water you wanted? When you pushed the magic silver handle, did everything whoosh away? Did you jog, walk your dog, or watch your child play in a park? If so, did you think about what it takes to keep the pavement, pipes, and landscape in good shape? No? That’s okay. It’s natural, especially when everything is going well. But being a friend means showing support when times get tough. And these days, our streets, pipelines, parks, and other public facilities are falling into disrepair. So we need to speak up and take action.

How? We’ve listed a few ideas below. Contact us through our web site or email us at info@friendsofinfrastructure.org. Share your ideas, tell us how you’re being a friend of infrastructure, and join our network of volunteers.

If you represent a public agency, let us know if you want our help in making your critical infrastructure a reality. Thanks! We’ll talk again soon!

A FEW IDEAS ON HOW TO BE FRIENDS OF INFRASTRUCTURE
(in no particular order)

1. Walk, bike, or ride transit someplace instead of driving.

2. Dial your sprinklers back a few minutes.

3. Pick up a little litter.

4. Email San Diego Mayor Sanders and tell him you support recycling wastewater.

5. Install a tankless water heater.

6. Get ready to comment at the next hearing on the Poseidon/Carlsbad Desalination Project, which will be when the California Coastal Commission meets August 6-8 in Oceanside.

7. Register for our “Dealing with the Media” workshop on September 24, from 8:00 am to 11:30 am at the Handlery Hotel and Resort, 950 Hotel Circle North ($65 if reserved by August 27, call ASCE at 619-588-0641 or email sdcivil@asce-sd.org)

8. Go see the Water: H₂O=Life exhibit at the San Diego Natural History Museum, July 19 through November 30.