Skip to main content

ASCE Ohio Council works to re-publicize the 2009 Ohio Infrastructure Report Card

 
The Ohio Council has received a State Public Affairs Grant from ASCE National to use, in combination with Ohio Council funds, in publicizing the 2009 Ohio Infrastructure Report Card to Ohio’s State Legislators and other appropriate officials.  We have hired a public relations firm, Triad, Inc. of Columbus, to assist in this project.  It includes mailing postcards to each legislator, developing a website window that is referenced in the postcard, and other related work.  The website window will link to the existing Ohio Council website.  We plan for the major thrust, postcard mailing and email sendouts, in late February or early March.
 
Our goal is to keep infrastructure problems in front of the legislature so that these needs will receive a reasonable share of the tight budget expected in the upcoming biennium.  We are also contacting other groups that have an interest in infrastructure funding in Ohio to let them know what we are doing, and to see if there are any ways we might reinforce our mutual interests. 
 
While this effort under the Triad contract is valuable in terms of placing the information in front of legislators and others, the real challenge is in getting them to look at it, think about it, and act accordingly.  The best way to achieve those goals is for knowledgeable and concerned constituents of each legislator to contact him or her and emphasize how critical the problems defined in the Report Card are, and press to maintain an appropriate level of funding for infrastructure in Ohio for the coming biennium.  The people best suited to this personal contact are our ASCE membersthroughout the state.  The best place to do this is at the Legislator’s local office or at a public or political event.  This is an important part of the effort that started in 2009 with preparation of the Report Card.  ASCE members put a great deal of effort into the Report Card, and Ohio Council funds are being used to publicize and distribute it using print and electronic media.  This is the best way to get our money’s worth from all of this past expense and volunteer effort.
 
Please publicize this project to section members by newsletters, website, email and announcements at meetings to let Ohio’s ASCE members know what we are planning to do.  We will contact you when the postcards have been mailed out; that’s when personal contact reminders would be the most effective.  Please note that the report card (1-page) and the background report (65 pages), are available on the Ohio Council Website (http://ohioasce.org/reportcard).  There is also an ample supply of printed copies of the 1-page report card, and a limited number of copies of the full background report.
 
Please call or email if you have any questions.
 
Dave Pritchard, Ohio Council Legislative Committee Chair

614-519-4819  email davepritchard@sbcglobal.net