The 2009 IFMA-CT Golf Classic was held at Gillette Ridge Golf Club in Bloomfield   Proceeds from the Classic benefits The Connecticut Food Bank

August 2009 The August Chapter meeting was held at Connecticare's new corporate headquarters in Farmington.  FM Innovations, a division of Tecton Architects, provided a overview of Computer Aided Facilities Management Systems and how customers are using them today, and the benefits and results they have achieved. Core functionality was discussed as well as how systems integrate with existing business applications and various available hosting options. This session also touched on how these systems can impact the sustainability and greening of your facility. After the presentation there was a tour of ConnectiCare's new Corporate Headquarters, built on their corporate campus in Farmington.  The interior of the building was designed by Tecton Architects, highlighted by an attractive entrance lobby design to greet clients, sophisticated corporate branding, and enhancements to the open office area.  This unique interior design includes an abundance of natural daylight, central conference rooms conceived as part of the branding message, and interactive cafes, shifting the office mindset and workplace culture at Connecticare.  In addition, existing workspace standards provided the initial building blocks but were expended to provide workspace flexibility. An exercise room with locker rooms is provided for the employees along with a central, shared coffee bar open to an adjacent informal conferencing space all coordinated through careful selection of the finishes and color palette.  Sustainability provides a continuous thread between varying building components including energy efficient light fixtures, lower water use plumbing fixtures, materials containing low VOCs and recycled content.   The new and existing buildings have been connected together through the implementation of an interactive passageway that acts as a showcase for the corporate image and numerous awards collected over the years.  Within the existing building, the existing cafeteria was expanded to allow the entire company to gather for town hall meetings to encourage employee interaction and provide a sense of community.      June 2009 In June J.P. Maguire hosted and sponsored a meeting at their offices in Waterbury on preparing a Property Damage & Emergency Response Program. There was a presentation on the reasons why facility managers should have a proactive clean up plan and restoration plan for their facilities and what should go into the plan. The interaction between the facility and the services typically provided by clean-up and restoration contractors was described, including emergency response to fire and water, effects of water and fire after an incident, and PERC emergency response planning. An overview of three recent projects will be provided, as well as an explanation of special considerations such as training and certification, equipment, notification and client assistance. The presenters were Chuck Peaslee has been with J.P. Maguire for over 25 years and Brian House who is the President of Moran Environmental Recovery (MER), a firm specializing in clean-up of oil and hazardous materials. Sponsored By:     May 2009   The May meeting was held at he Legislative Office Building and was a presentation on the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Incentive Program which is managed by Ameresco.. Under the Act for Energy Independence (EIA), DPUC has approved a 5 MW energy efficiency program managed by Ameresco.  The program is funded through ratepayers' Federally Mandated Congestion Charges and administered by The United Illuminating Company.  This rebate program offers up to $600 per kW saved to customers who reduce electric demand during peak hours.  All Connecticut electric users are eligible.  The program is ideal for hospitals, retail, industrial, manufacturing, warehouse, and garage facilities with long hours of operation. The program is open to both customers building new facilities and customers retrofitting their existing facilities. The presentation was led by: Heather Takle who is the Operations Administrator for the Ameresco Energy Efficiency Incentive Program and Larry Kata Program Administrator for the Ameresco Energy Efficiency Incentive Program.  They have over 10 and 17 years experience respectively in the utilities and energy solutions industry. The meeting was sponsored by who is also a Chapter gold sponsor:     November 2008 - Aetna Customer Center Tour   The November meeting was held at the Aetna Customer Center. In late 2006, Aetna set out to create a new Customer Center for its clients and business partners in the Hartford, CT Corporate Headquarters. The goal of the space was to be functional, stimulating, and above all, earth-friendly. The Customer Center is located just off the main entrance inside Aetna's home office building, which was built in 1931, the new completed Aetna Customer Center is approximately 12,000 s.f. and is an example of both restoration and sensitive modernization, using up-to-date "green" materials and technology.   This renovated space, designed by Perkins + Will, is currently registered with the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED for Commercial Interiors program and hopes to achieve silver status. The tour showed examples of how simple things can add up to big LEED paybacks. Customers are sent all documents electronically,  they receive one piece of paper when they arrive the agenda keeping paper use to a minimum. Natural Day light is used to reduce energy use. Environmentally-friendly surfaces were used, such as low-VOC paint & bamboo flooring. "Green" furniture was purchased from Steelcase.     The tour was very informative and presented excellent examples of how a renovation project even in a building 77 years old can be completed on a fast track schedule and still qualify for LEED certification. October 2008   The IFMA-CT 2008 Golf Tournament was at the Gillette Ridge Golf Club in Bloomfield.  A great day was had by all the golfers the proceeds from the tournament this year benefited Habitat for Humanity and the IFMA-CT education fund. This year the play started earlier a with a lunch prior to the tie off and an awards dinner ath the end of the day.   September 2008 The September meeting was a "walls open" Hard-Hat Tour of the new Connecticut Science Center in Hartford. Construction began in January 2006 on this Cesar Pelli-designed 154,000 s.f. building rising on the corner of Columbus Boulevard. It will have 40,000 square feet of exhibit space that will accommodate 200+ exhibits in ten galleries and three levels of parking for 468 cars. The North Tower is 90 feet above the plaza, the South Tower is 112 ft above the plaza, and Science Alley is 143 ft above the plaza at its tallest point. The building contains a total of 2,500 tons of steel and 95% of all the steel was manufactured from recycled cars. The Connecticut Science Center features the 206-seat Hoffman 3D Science Theater; the "Aerie" an observation platform extending out towards the Connecticut River from the building with dramatic views of the river and surrounding landscape; Science Alley, the sweeping architectural signature of the building, which will feature a prominent interactive sculpture; four specially equipped laboratories, including a Forensic Science Lab, Wet Lab, Distance Learning Lab, and domed theater; and an accessible, planted roof that adds to the energy-efficiency of the building while allowing visitors to relax outdoors, view the night sky, and attend special functions.   July 2008:  The July meting was held at the new Middletown High School and Vocational Agricultural Center which was in its final construction phases as they prepare for opening to students in the fall.     May 2008: The May meeting included a sampling of the food prepared by the the students and a tour of the Connecticut Culinary Institute in Hartford. This fascinating facility offers its students three professional programs in culinary arts, professional  pastry and baking and Italian culinary arts. The  Connecticut Culinary Institute was founded in 1987 in Farmington and moved to the 367,000 square foot former Hastings hotel.  There are six newly constructed teaching kitchens in addition to the existing large production kitchen as well as two amphitheatres, a computer lab, a Learning Resource Center and other amenities for the students. March 2008:   The March meeting was a Wine and Cheese Social held with our friends at the Construction Institute at Tunxis Community College in Farmington. Along with lively networking we were treated to tours of the new 600 building and a overview of the on-going campus expansion project.     February 2008 The February Chapter meeting was held jointly with BOMA Hartford at the 108,000 square-foot Travelers Claim University in Windsor. The educational facility was designed to give Travelers' claim professionals the rigorous, hands-on training and expertise they need to provide knowledgeable, accurate and efficient claim service for customers and agents.   The facility contains eight classrooms that can accommodate 234 students at one time.  There is a 400-seat auditorium that can be converted into two large classrooms, a property lab containing two full-size, fully furnished residential homes complete with full mechanicals, a full-size, fully-stocked commercial convenience store, and numerous smaller scale mock-up demonstrations showing construction detail to support material identification, damage reparability and installation procedures.  There is also an auto lab, a heavy-duty equipment lab, and 20 full-time training staff on site.   January 2008: The 2008 IFMA-CT Annual meeting was held at the Sports Center of Connecticut in Shelton. It was a great opportunity to network, about the "It's Good to Be Green" initiative, the IFMA/BOMA Green Challenge and hear an update of the State of the Chapter. Information on upcoming educational meetings and special events. And after the meeting, join in a game of laser tag with each other.