NEXT WEEK____________________________________________
Monday, May 26 

 

 

No Meeting - In observance of Memorial Day

 

 

OUR PREVIOUS MEETING_________________________________
This report is contributed by Judy Driggans
Jack Benson, City Commissioner for District 4, spoke briefly about the improvements planned and desired for his District and then spoke about the changes to downtown Chattanooga. He said that the City Commission and the Mayor are working together with many people to make Chattanooga the best midsize town in America.  They don't always agree, but they work cooperatively together. Downtown Chattanooga has now under 10 percent tree cover.  It would be more pleasant, he says, if 15% could be achieved.  The trees provide shade for cooling and help to clean the air in the area.
Chattanooga is catching up on some of the downtown improvements.  It is more cost effective to better use the downtown area than to continue increasing urban sprawl in the area.  Urban sprawl is expensive with the need for new sewer and new school rooms.  Some improvements being discussed are:
    · Rail from Walnut Street Bridge to Hunter Art Museum
    · Riverfront marina where a paint store used to be at the top of the hill at the end of MLK
    · More residential dwellings in and near downtown
    · MLK and McCallie change from one way to two way
With change come new challenges.  New ordinances were needed to be sure horse driven taxis were safe for visitors, noise and lights don't bother new downtown residences, and even the open container (alcohol) law needed to be changed.

 

FUTURE MONDAY MEETINGS_____________________________________

 

June 2: The New Economy Institute - Helping Local Industries Produce High-tech Products- Dr. Greg Sedrick
June 9: Design of the Trade Center Renovations -Combining Energy Efficiency with Ambiance - Ray Boaz, Derthick, Henley & Wilkerson

June 16: To be confirmed
June 23: Valuable Lessons Learned in Environmental Management - Warren Behlau, Tennessee Valley Authority
June 30: Tour of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Training Facility - Jan Griffin

July 7: The Next Generation Orbiting Space Telescope - NASA's Marshal Space Flight Center.
July 14: Supercomputers - Their Design and Application at ORNL- Thomas Zacharia, Director of ORNL's Computational Science Laboratory
July 21: To be confirmed
July 28: Garbage! How much more of this can we take? - Damon Riggs, Proj. Mngr, Solid Waste, ARCADIS

 

In August: Internet II - Awesome Speed and Immense Possibilities - Dr. Clint Smullen, UTC

 

 

WHERE WE MEET_______________________________________
Unless we note otherwise, all of our presentation meetings are held at the Cellar Restaurant in the Tallan Building, Union Square, Downtown Chattanooga from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Out meeting room and luncheon service are open by 11:30 a.m. Lunch buffet is $10.00 per person (inclusive). No reservation is required. Free parking is available in the Days Inn Motel (on Carter Street and MLK Blvd.) courtesy of the Days Inn management. When you park there, be sure to place a note on your dashboard indicating you are attending the Engineers Club meeting.

QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS? ______________________________
If you have any questions or suggestions about program items please call Judy Driggans at 423-751-7616 or email her at jdriggans@comcast.net. You can find references to other Chattanooga Engineers Club members at our web site: www.ChattanoogaEngineersClub.org. Brad Baucom will return as program chairperson in several weeks.