COVID and Fires and
Drought oh my!
I’m sure if Dorothy, Scarecrow and Tin Man were walking through Northern California these days it would not be “lions and tigers and bears” they would be so worried about. We have been living under the emotional and financial heartbreak of COVID for the last year and a half now and it seems that both wildfires and drought are becoming more and more severe than ever before. This unholy trinity has cast a shadow on our world as gloomy as the hot, smoky view out my window right now. However, on the positive side, our industry has been vital in providing the services that have kept the economy moving forward during these trying times. I think that is something that we can all feel very proud to be part of.
A LOT has happened since we last met in-person for a membership dinner meeting in February of 2020. For perspective, I was going to list all the significant world and national events that have happened over the last 18 months but that list quickly got depressing. On a more personal level, we’ve all had to learn how to breath through a mask and work remotely in the virtual workspace (and compete for internet bandwidth as our kids were schooled from home). Fist and elbow bumps temporarily replaced the handshake. Vacation plans were canceled or postponed. Weddings, graduations, and other major life events were modified due to travel restrictions and social distancing requirements (I attended my first, and hopefully last, virtual wedding). We could not enjoy going out for dinner, movies, concerts, or sporting events. Although we were hindered in visiting some loved ones, we were fortunate to be able to spend more time with others close by and that has been a blessing in many ways.
This is my first President’s Message and I am very honored and humbled to be serving you this year as president. I want to thank Past Presidents Kevin Gustorf (2019-2020) and Jerry Jones (2020-2021) for guiding our chapter the last 2 years during the pandemic and doing a fantastic job under very difficult circumstances. I also want to recognize our chapter board of directors and state directors for their selfless dedication to ACEC and efforts in advancing our industry. Last, and most definitely not least, many thanks to Debbie LoCicero, our chapter administrator, who has been serving our chapter for several years now and without her help we/I would be in big trouble.
As of right now we are planning for in-person membership meetings for the first time in over 18 months. Our first dinner meeting of the year will be on September 15th and Debbie will be sending out registration info soon if you have not received it already. This meeting will include a presentation on the RiverArc project by PCWA’s Tony Firenzi. I’m really looking forward to hearing how this project will help diversify our region’s water supply. Membership meetings in October and November will include Ben Van Der Meer with the Sacramento Business Journal and Sabrina Drago, Executive Director of the Sacramento Transportation Authority. We will again be having our joint meeting with APWA in January and Past-President’s meeting in February. We plan again to have our meeting with the Calmentor program in March and Young Professional’s Luncheon in April. Hopefully, on May 18th, we will be attending Legislative Visit Day at the State Capitol and ending the year with the Chapter Summer Social in June.
Thank you all for supporting our great industry by your participation in ACEC. I look forward to seeing/meeting you all in 3D very soon.
Stay well,
Scott Lillibridge
ACEC-CA Sierra Chapter President
