ASPE Newsletter Volume 30 Issue 1

President's Report

Welcome Back for the 2026-2027 ASPE Season!

As summer comes to a close, I am excited to welcome everyone back for another outstanding year with our ASPE Chapter. Whether you are a longtime member, a new member joining us for the first time, or a student beginning your journey in the plumbing engineering profession, we are glad to have you with us as we kick off the 2026-2027 chapter season.

Our chapter leadership team has been working hard to plan a year filled with valuable technical education, networking opportunities, industry updates, and events that strengthen the connections within our local plumbing engineering community. We encourage all members to get involved, attend meetings, and take advantage of the many opportunities ASPE provides for professional growth and development.

I would also like to encourage everyone to attend the upcoming ASPE Convention & Expo, the premier event for plumbing engineering professionals. The Convention & Expo brings together industry leaders, manufacturers, engineers, designers, contractors, and code officials from across the country for an unparalleled exchange of knowledge and ideas. With world-class technical education sessions, hands-on product demonstrations, and countless networking opportunities, it is an experience that delivers value for professionals at every stage of their careers.

As we begin this new chapter year, let's continue growing our knowledge, supporting one another, and advancing the plumbing engineering profession. I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming chapter meetings and hopefully at the Convention & Expo as well.

Thank you for your continued support of our chapter. Here's to a successful and rewarding 2026-2027 season!

Sincerely,
Joe Poplinger
ASPE – Kansas City Chapter President

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VP Technical

Hello ASPE members! Welcome back from summer and we hope you're looking forward to another year of meetings and events with KC ASPE. The September meeting will cover Total Design and ADA in Restrooms and is sponsored by Toto. We look forward to seeing you at the meeting! Please note the October meeting will be one week later than normal on the 19th due to the ASPE Convention and Expo in Oklahoma City from  10/8 - 14.

Thanks,
Jack Klapper P.E.

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VP Membership

Hey Kansas City ASPE folks!

We’re back into another year of KC ASPE meetings, and we want to keep growing our local chapter!

If you’ve been attending ASPE meetings for a while, think about the people you work with who could benefit from getting involved. Maybe it’s a younger engineer or designer looking to learn, a coworker who could use some additional industry connections, or even someone you regularly work with who has just never made it to an ASPE meeting.

Bring them with you!

One of the best ways to grow our chapter is simply by introducing new people to it. Potential new members can attend their first meeting and lunch on us, so invite a coworker to come check out a meeting, meet some people, and see what KC ASPE has to offer.

WHY ASPE?

There’s a lot more to ASPE membership than our monthly meetings. Our technical sessions provide opportunities to earn PDHs, while chapter meetings and events give members a chance to build relationships with other engineers, designers, contractors, manufacturers, and representatives throughout the Kansas City plumbing industry.

Members also have access to ASPE Connect, which is a great resource when you run into one of those plumbing design questions that doesn’t have an obvious answer. The forums connect you with professionals across the country who may have dealt with the exact same problem.

ASPE also provides webinars, technical education, publications, and other resources to help members continue developing throughout their careers.

HELP US GROW KC ASPE!

Here’s my challenge to our current members: bring one new person to an ASPE event this year.

They don’t need to already be a plumbing expert. In fact, bringing younger engineers, designers, interns, and others who are newer to the industry is one of the best ways we can strengthen the future of our chapter.

Know someone who might be interested? Invite them to our next meeting and introduce them around. We’ll take it from there!

If you’re interested in joining, renewing your membership, or have questions about membership, visit the ASPE website or contact me at [email protected].

See you at the next meeting — and bring a friend!

Mike Oliva
VP Membership

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Vice President Legislative

Hello all. Happy September! I've gathered some local jurisdiction and their adopted codes for everybody's quick reference. There are some upcoming changes highlighted below.

 Kansas

• Overland Park has adopted the 2024 International Codes
• Lenexa is still under the 2018 International Codes
• Shawnee has adopted the 2024 International Codes, with the exception of 2018 IECC though
• Olathe is still under the 2018 International Codes
• Leawood has adopted 2024 International Codes
• Mission is upgrading from 2018 to 2024 on October 1, 2026 (check amendments)
• Topeka is a bit of a unicorn. They have adopted a mix of 2024 and 2021 ICC and UCC. This includes 2021 IECC(envelope only), 2024 UPC, 2024 UMC. Check local amendments.
• Lawrence is still under the 2018 International Codes (with amendments)
• Manhattan (go cats) is under 2021 ICC, with the exception of 2009 IECC
• Wichita is under 2024 ICC, except for 2021 UPC
• KCK (Wyandotte County) is still under the 2018 International Codes

 
Missouri

• KCMO is under 2018 International codes with 2021 IECC adopted (although they are in the process of updating to 2024 ICC, with local amendments. Timeline TBD)
• North KC is still under the 2018 International Codes
• Liberty is still under the 2018 International Codes
• Gladstone is under 2021 International Codes (with amendments)
• Raytown is still under the 2018 International Codes
• Grandview is still under the 2018 International Codes
• Independence is under 2024 International Codes (check amendments)
• St. Joseph is under 2024 International codes, however has adopted 2024 UPC
• Lee's Summit is still under the 2018 International Codes
• Columbia is upgrading from 2018 ICC to 2024 ICC (with amendments) on October 1, 2024. They will keep the 2018 IECC until April 1, 2027, when they will update to 2024 IECC (with amendments!)

 
Also as a general note, new 2027 ICC codes are starting to drop - keep an eye on 2027 I-Codes for those!

 If you've run into any interesting AHJ code comments/issues, please send them to [email protected]. Maybe all of us can learn some things from one another!

 Thank you,
Mary Kaster - VP Legislative ASPE KC

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Education Committee

Education Committee 

We’re starting the ASPE year running, with lots of opportunities to learn, get involved, and connect! Let’s make it a great year!!

 Certified Plumbing Design Technician (CPDT) Exam. 

 The CPDT certification was developed as a precursor with the Certified in Plumbing Design (CPD).  See below for details and refer to the website for additional information https://aspe.org/education-credentialing/cpdt/cpdtexam/.  Reach out to me or any board member if you are interested or have questions.  Please let us know if you are taking the test so we can support you.

 Help us Send Students from Kansas State University to the ASPE Convention

 Are you interested in helping support a group of students from Kansas State University attend the ASPE Convention in Oklahoma City?  The ASPE Kansas City Chapter would like to send a few K-State Architectural Engineering students to the Convention and provide them with a van ride to Oklahoma City.

 The ASPE Kansas City Chapter and supporters will provide:

• Convention
• Registration
• Hotel Accommodations
• Meals
• Transportation by Van
  

It’s a great opportunity for the students to experience the Convention, meet industry professionals, and get real-world exposure to the plumbing engineering industry.

There are a couple of ways you can help!

If you are a vendor exhibiting at the Convention, will you let us know if you’ll be there? We would love to have you connect with the students and show them what your company has to offer.  If you are an engineer attending the Convention, would you be willing to mentor a student or spend some time with them during the Convention? 

Would you like to sponsor a student?

We are also accepting monetary donations to help make this opportunity possible for the students.  We would really appreciate your support in helping give these students a great Convention experience and an opportunity to connect with people in the industry.
If you’re interested in helping in any of these ways, please let me know!

Thank you for your support!
Ann Braden
KC ASPE Education Committee Chair

[email protected]

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Affiliate Liason

We’re BACKKKKKKK!

I can’t believe our summer break is past, and we are back to monthly meetings, newsletters and various events.  Even with those 100 degree days, I’m not ready to give up summer.  I guess that is why I’m late asking about newsletter ads. 

As in the past, we are offering ad packages for 2 and 3 month ad spots, as well as monthly ads.

Ads will be purchased on a monthly basis.  We will have limited packages available (first come, first served) for 2- and 3-month packages.  Otherwise, all ads will be purchased as a monthly ad and there will be a limit on the number of ads sold.   

The sidebar ad that runs each month is available for purchase for the entire year.   This sidebar ad will be your logo that links to your company website.  This will allow engineers to quickly find your company when needed while also cleaning up the number of ads each month. 

 The ads will be as follows:

Sidebar company logo add with link to your website                     $100 for the year
3-month ad package (this is a full-page ad in 3 newsletters)          $300 for the year
2-month ad package (this is a full-page ad in 2 newsletters)          $220 for the year
1 month ad (this is a full-page ad in 1 newsletter)                   $120 for the single ad

Please reach out to me ([email protected]) and let me know what ads you would like to purchase for the year. 

Thank you,
Stacy Ferguson

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Corresponding Secretary

Happy September Birthdays!

Vincent Benjamin Bailey 
Eric Spencer Baum P.E.
Ben Brooks P.E., CFPE, PMSFPE, CHRS
Brock Joseph Centlivre P.E., LEED AP
Steve Michael Heitert 
Rebecca L. Henderson LEED Green Associate
Richard John Kaestner 
Brian Eugene Petz CPD
Matthew Charles Robb 
Kevin James Whiteside 
Michael Worrel 
Kun Xie

Congratulations to people with ASPE Anniversaries!

John O. Bailey 
Nate Buzard 
Jacob Allen Hamilton GPD, P.E.
Brad Kielhofner P.E.
Blake Koehn 
Robert Mitchell LaMendola 
Stephen Morehead 
Brian Prendergast

Larry Tatum, CPD, LEED AP 
KC ASPE Corresponding Secretary

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