Liaison Division

ACSM/NSPS

I attended the Spring ACSM/NSPS Conference & Technology Exhibition on March 8 – 13, 2007 in St. Louis, MO.

Items of Interest:

1)      1.) NSPS is working on developing and taking the lead role in providing CFS (Certified Flood Plain Surveyor) training for all of the states. This approach has developed since FEMA dropped the program after the North Carolina pilot project, due to funding and program interest issues. More info to come in the future.

2)      2.) NSPS continues to pursue the National Surveyors Week Proclamation from the US Congress

3)      2.) NSPS continues to pursue Grant programs and/or Congressional funding earmarks to provide funds for expansion of the Trig-Star program

The next NSPS meeting:
 

  2007 ACSM/NSPS Fall Meeting
  Lobby Day: Thursday, September 27
  Meeting Dates: Friday, September 28 - Tuesday, October 2
 

  Hilton Arlington
  950 North Stafford Street
  Arlington, Virginia 22203

Respectfully Submitted

Patrick A. Smith, RPLS
 

GENERAL LAND OFFICE

Nothing major has been happening at the GLO this quarter, pertaining to surveying.  A few items of note are:

A Bill has been introduced this legislative session pertaining to monumentation of original survey lines in the El Paso area.  The Bill is intended to fix a problem where a lot of surveys have been based on a non-original set of monuments set for the Texas & Pacific Railroad surveys.  The Bill would allow the GLO to honor these monuments.

The GLO has some little-known services available which can be a real aide to surveyors:

- A SKETCH SEARCH can be ordered from the GLO on an area.  This will show what maps and sketches are in the GLO’s records.

- The GLO’s website has a GIS Web tool which has the original survey lines (from Tobin maps) and information on state-owned properties.  There is also a search tool within this GIS which gives details original grantees and all sorts of other information.
 

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS)
 

REAL ESTATE

No activity since last report.  I am in the process of contacting the TAR to invite them to have a booth at our annual convention.

If there are any issues or concerns that anyone knows of that needs to be addressed by this committee, please let me know.

I welcome any input and suggestions from past committee members and the general membership. Listed below is the committee charge and various tasks assigned to this committee:

 Committee Charge:

Continue to represent the objectives of TSPS before TAR. Keep TSPS Executive Committee and Board of Directors informed of any actions required by TSPS.  Develop a liaison contact at TAR and hold a minimum of once-a-month discussions concerning TSPS objectives and joint issues.  Coordinate with other TSPS committees, as required by issues of concern.

Tasks:

• Consider expanding this committee to have five Co-Chairs to correspond to the five TSPS chapter areas...See link with TLTA Liaison and five co-chairs;

• Prepare outline for TSPS Speakers at Real Estate meetings;

• Invitation for Real Estate Liaison to have exhibit at TSPS convention;

• Deliver a report at each quarterly board meeting responding to committee charges and task. Discussing actions, no action, problems, contacts made, input or concerns from other organization;

• Through out the year develop a short report to be presented and included in the annual business meeting concerning the objects and concerns of this organization;

REAL ESTATE DIVISION TO THE STATE BAR

The Committee continues to monitor recent Texas real estate law cases and summaries prepared by the Real Estate Section of the State Bar of Texas and published in the Texas Surveyor.

Mark J. Hanna
 

TxDOT

Since our last report the Standing Committee on Surveying (SCOS) has held meetings on February 21, 2007 at the Camp Hubbard campus. The following TxDOT representatives were present:

John Wallis, Odessa District; Darryl Zercher, San Antonio District; Jon Cox, Dallas District; Joe Breaux, Beaumont District; Mark Caldwell, Atlanta District; Steve Schmidt, ISD Division; Marcy Saenz, Design Division; Dean Wilkerson, ISD Division, Jesse Cooper, Right-of-Way Division; and Judy Skeen (Sponsor) ISD Division and myself.

Committee reports:

Were brief as most of the day was spent finalizing the Conference activities.

On April 10 and 11 the Annual TxDOT Surveyors Conference was held at the Omni South Park, as the Conference is the final action of the SCOS member who term is expiring Joe Breaux of the Beaumont District is being replaced by Randall Kircher of the Corpus Christi District, along that same line Ivor Walker of the Houston District will replace Darryl Zercher of the San Antonio District, who resigned due to a promotion to Information System Division in Austin.  John Wallis of the Odessa District was selected as the Chair of SCOS until the Conference in 2008.  There were many excellent programs presented both by TSPS members and others, such as Bill O’Hara, Nedra Foster, Darrell Shine and Robert Young.  One outstanding program was by Stephen Estopinal, a surveyor and engineer in Louisiana, who talked about research, recovery, remarking corners, documentation and collection of other data after a natural disaster; he is also a contributing writer to Professional Surveyor. Colin Townsend gave an excellent talk on identification of trees. The film Surveying Texas Style was also shown and received many favorable comments. There also several speakers from within TxDOT relating to TxDOT issues.

The next SCOS meeting is May 30, 2007; activities will be reported at the June Board meeting.

Respectfully submitted

John F. Pierce, TSPS liaison to TxDOT SCOS

Copyright © 2007
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