Open today's paper to discover the word "survey" in the big headline on the front page. Turns out the story is about a planned project for a new hotel and convention center that the city has been involved in for nearly three years. Notable locals have expressed concern that this wonderful addition will never happen because it is taking so long. So guess who the City Information Officer decides to announce is the cause of the problem. Not only have I been incredibly slow about completing the survey but it seems that such surveys can cost tens of thousands of dollars. I suppose the IRS will be calling soon to ask me why I never report such levels of income from each job.
We have been the ones trying to keep the project moving while certain City employees and the developer who is being given the property have found fifty ways to hold us up. I'm still waiting for payment for the latest services provided. But, ignore the truth and toss the surveyor under the bus because it will help certain city employees appear to be worthy of their elevated salaries.
I think I'll have a little chat with the Mayor. We've only known each other for nearly 50 years.
How about a little letter to the editor, laying out the whole story, and placing blame where blame goes. AND then send it to the guilty parties, and tell em to GET WITH IT, or it goes into the local paper, in a month.... Tell them you are a SURVEYOR, not a "Convenient Blame Collector".
Nate
Some time back I was working with an engineer on several CDBG sanitary sewer projects in a small community not far from here. Construction wasn't far behind and I was also responsible for the staking.
It became obvious that something was awry when the cuts rapidly decreased in depth...I stopped when the cuts to flow line turned to fills....
This all occurred right in front of the local small town's newspaper office. Somehow, by the time the mid-week afternoon paper was published, the report was "a surveyor's error" had ceased construction.
A quick scramble at the engineer's office and we were back up and digging. The engineer took full responsibility with the admission he "had blown it", but no one ever reported that to the news rag. That job went on for a year and folks at the diner were still talking about the "surveyor's error" costing the City money.
It really burned my butt.
If they printed "Surveyor catches plan error, saves town hundreds of thousands." every time we sorted out problems, that is all the newspaper would ever have in it.
:good:
:good:
I like to do a job right, but just once I would like to write one of those numbers I know is wrong on the stake and walk away.
Steve
I would think that an ALTA survey for the scope of the project that you described should be around a minimum of $20k .
So your city manager exaggerations are not that far off. But they shouldn't have blamed cost for delays.
Projects like these where cites are giving land away take time. Sometimes there has to be a ballot approval. That delays the process because of filing election requirements to the state which includes attorneys getting involved to square the corners on these issues.
Simple land transfers here between land owners and government take time here. I was involved with one last year that failed because it was defeated at the polls. It was actually a land donation .
Even the good ole boy network couldn't save it but in the aftermath it appeared that some of the good ole boy clique were working against each other. You may be in the boat.
Hope you get paid up before money is out of reach of your clients.
> I think I'll have a little chat with the Mayor. We've only known each other for nearly 50 years.
File a lawsuit for slander against the City Information Officer. I'm sure the paper would be delighted to report that.
Actually, the paper would REALLY enjoy that opportunity.
This ALTA involved bare ground with some trees on one side plus adequate utility lines in place along two sides. A city street on one side and a US highway along the front. No structures at this time. Four sides with existing monuments in place. So, it was far from being even $10K.
The truth is that 95 percent of what was on the ALTA was on the initial boundary survey completed 12 months prior of a slightly larger tract. Then the City and the developer came up with a plan for the City to retain a portion of the larger tract to eventually be used for a small restaurant (they hope). To arrive at how to make that split, the developer had his architect lay out the planned hotel and convention center such that the smaller tract could be retained by the City. We finalized that lot split in March after nine months of delay on the part of the City and the developer. Now it is my fault. The paper story included mention that the developer would need a few weeks before signing off on the final plan so his architect could confirm that the planned development would fit the area depicted in the ALTA. Like I said above, that's what they spent nine months doing before agreeing to the lot split. The turn around time on the ALTA was about three weeks.
yeah there's gotta be something inherently wrong with perp-walking a cow.
Makes for one heck of a speed bump when they throw me under the bus.
