A recently enacted law (HB 1530, 80th Legislature, Regular Session) requires any person applying for or renewing a broker or salesperson license on or after January 1, 2008 to provide their fingerprints, in a specified format, in order to enable an FBI criminal history check to be performed. These new fingerprint requirements apply only to brokers and salespersons. They do not apply to other TREC licensees, such as home inspectors. Once fingerprints are on file with DPS for a TREC license, a licensee will not need to be fingerprinted for subsequent renewals.

For more information visit: http:// www.trec.state.tx.us/FASTPrintPass/

The SAPD recently released information on their S.M.A.R.T. Initiative. The initiative says that San Antonio is a growing city with a growing need for more police officers. Since it will take time to increase the number of police officers, the San Antonio Police Department must be more efficient in deploying every police officer. The SMART Initiative (strategic Management for Accelerated Response Times) will allow police officers more time for patrols and to be available to respond to more serious calls.

One of the changes to note is that the SAPD will no longer respond to private property accidents (non-intoxicated driver) without injury. To review the complete S.M.A.R.T. Initiative please visit: http://www.sanantonio.gov/SAPD/PDF/Adv_1 01808.PDF.

SAABE recently sent out the following information to its members. With SAABE's permission we are passing the following valuable information with SABOMA members.

Dear SAABE Members and Friends,

If you remember the Legionnaire's outbreak in San Antonio in 2006, the following article explains how this outbreak transpired.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/52_ million_settles_suit_over_hospital_outbreak.html

Charlie's Recommendations: When an underground domestic waterline is ruptured (i.e. hole, crack, etc.); "if at all possible", maintain an amount of positive pressure on the pirping to "reduce" the amount of contaminates entering the piping (do not completely turn off the supply.)

Maintain positive pressure until all the aggregate/soil is removed, and the water is pumped out of the hole thus exposing the ruptured piping and leaking water to the atmosphere (i.e. don't turn off the water supply entirely but maintain a controllable leak)!

If the pump's capacity (that is pumping water out of the hole) is less than the amount of water entering, get more or bigger pumps (trash pumps are highly recommended)

By maintaining positive pressure this will "reduce" the amount of contaminants entering into the piping and systems.

However, please note that this action could also be a safety issue (OSHA rules state that all stored energy must be removed, valves closed, locked out, tagged out etc.)

Education leads to experience. Experience is the best form of education but it has the largest expense. Those who lost their lives paid this expense. Apply their expense towards your education

God bless the families of those who lost their lives to this unfortunate incident.

Charles H. Mikolajczyk Jr. CBE-M

Vice President Engineering

Endeavor Real Estate Group
(210) 341-0828
(210)366-4922 Fax
Cm@satx.rr.com

SABOMA has an opening for an Administrative Assistant. The position is a contract labor position with flexible hours of 9:00am to 3:00pm. The ideal candidate must possess excellent computer, written & oral skills. This person will have the opportunity to work on the new and exciting projects planned for SABOMA's future.

Contact Teresa Tuma at (210) 822-4499 or at teresa@saboma.org.