Had an interesting junk mail in todays delivery. It looked generic enough, but the story line was "Important safety information about excavation and digging". So I opened it up.
It was a public awareness flyer by a company called Common Ground Alliance, out of Wichita. They apparently are strong member/advocates for "one call" marking of underground utilities, that every state has and contractors call regularly before they go dig things up.
I have no idea why they sent me this, but I do have a couple cut sprinkler lines, underground electric pet fences & even a phone line under my belt. Maybe I should call them sometimes.
It even had a feedback card, I'll probably submit it back. The flyer even had the whole thing in both English & Spanish.
Got one here in NYC the other day.
They must have someones mailing list.
I received one in Nebraska, so they must have obtained a licensed land surveyor's mailing list.
Obviously a mailing list from somewhere. Mine was addressed to my business name, and not me. Maybe they got that from some contractor who I've done work for, that's on some national networking site for projects. Plus I often go to those contractors ftp sites for plans, etc.
It's just kind of spooky how they find you. I wish they'd bring some work my way instead of their mail. But I thought this junk mail was a bit more positive than most of the junk I get.
My guess would be the NSPS list, or a combination of State Associations.
> Obviously a mailing list from somewhere.
Well, you guys will be glad to know that NO ONE will EVER get ANY of your emails, names, any personal information, etc...sold to them from us. Never ever ever!!! We don't roll that way around here. 🙂
We all know that. No cause for concern.
It's just an interesting form of junk mail that wasn't even soliciting anything. Yet. And seems to go from NY, NE, to AZ surveying businesses - pretty broad spectrum.
Oddly, at least to me, is that it did seem to be for informational purposes only. Also, about a public and/or utility service that every surveyor is fully aware of.
Just for clarity, this was US Postal mail. Not spam email. So they are actually spending money for their cause, which hopefully is not funded by some stimulus grant or excise fee on my electric/gas bill.
I got one too addressed to the firm name. I am thinking it comes from the board of registration.
Jerry
I received one here in Tennessee in the past few days.
ORCGA Is Important
Wayne-
In Ontario we have the ORCGA http://www.orcga.com/home.asp
It is a good NGO group of fellow 'users' of "The Dirt" made up of surveyors engineers, excavators utilities etc.
An interesting link is here:
http://www.orcga.com/lib/db2file.asp?fileid=563
1-2: The Protection of Survey Infrastructure
(New 02/08)
By working with ORCGA some of us are trying to obtain a minor change and addition to upcoming legislation to reflect:
Before any construction and movement of soil or rock by any natural person or entity near a highway as defined under Section 26 of the Municipal Act, both pre and post inventory of all the cadastral survey monumentation therealong, including control survey monumentation of record in the Ministry of Natural Resource's digital data base COSINE, must be made by a licensed Ontario Land Surveyor."
in a Bill of the Ontario Legislature (Bill 180, it died as the Legislature rose but will come back again in October/November).
http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&Intranet=&BillID=2484
It will be a bit of a "go" but I don't give up easily.
There is some reluctance for this addition, in my mind based upon a lack of understanding that the subsurface infrastructure must be tied to a framework (the lot fabric and UTM Coordinates by a SURVEYOR and not by a flying guess of the best efforts of GIS mapping.
Stay tuned,
Derek
PS-
It may be a good thing to have a person on staff of a sub company to become a locator.
There are college driven courses here for such certification.
ORCGA Is Important
Derek, that is very interesting. That sure would increase the need for surveyors if we could get cadastral monumentation included in the 'one call' system. Even if it got abused (which it would), the public would still be better protected and the cadastre would be better served.
Perhaps that's why the seeming junk mail is getting distributed to surveyors across the country. hmmmmm
The big question is who'd pay for it. And I agree that it would be a tough sell, in any beauracracy - mostly because they don't understand.
ORCGA Is Important
Wayne-
From the USA version of the Common Ground Alliance, the Ontario and Canadian version is growing.
Compare the "Best Practices" Manuals.
I would doubt if any serious professional cadastral surveyor is not on the same page about the importance of the protection of survey monumentation that is designed to be left in situ in perpetuity unless replaced professionally.
By use of a 'holdback', a very familiar concept to contractors, a guestimate of costs to replace all the final necessary monuments can be made.
The contractor and site superintendent will watch for monument destruction and the contractor, wishing to be paid, will be both careful and want the surveyor back on site PDQ.
Our Canadian Criminal Code sets out:
CRIMINAL CODE OF CANADA SECTIONS 442 AND 443
Interfering with boundary lines
442. Every one who wilfully pulls down, defaces, alters or removes anything planted or set up as the boundary line or part of the boundary line of land is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.
• R.S., c. C-34, s. 398.
Interfering with international boundary marks, etc.
443. (1) Every one who wilfully pulls down, defaces, alters or removes
(a) a boundary mark lawfully placed to mark any international, provincial, county or municipal boundary, or
(b) a boundary mark lawfully placed by a land surveyor to mark any limit, boundary or angle of a concession, range, lot or parcel of land,
is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.
Saving provision
(2) A land surveyor does not commit an offence under subsection (1) where, in his operations as a land surveyor,
(a) he takes up, when necessary, a boundary mark mentioned in paragraph (1)(b) and carefully replaces it as it was before he took it up; or
(b) he takes up a boundary mark mentioned in paragraph (1)(b) in the course of surveying for a highway or other work that, when completed, will make it impossible or impracticable for that boundary mark to occupy its original position, and he establishes a permanent record of the original position sufficient to permit that position to be ascertained.
• R.S., c. C-34, s. 399.
The difficult proof word is "Wilfully", ergo my suggestion.
In early time, the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors representation was not as strong as now with active, in the field surveyors being members of ORCGA.
I suggest finding out about the local Chapter and join as it is not too costly.
Without action, as Walt Kelley put it through POGO " I've seen the enemy and it's us !"
Cheers
Derek
ORCGA Is Important
I know exactly what you mean by the "holdback". It is quite common for DOT's & agencies to put survey monumentation & replacement in as a bid item for the contractor. Even making it incidental at times, via one paragraph that references statute. I think they think it saves them money?
And then on private projects, I think it's everybody for themselves and to just CYA. Sad really.
But it is common for the contractor to never quite finish things up, and things just move forward towards alleged completion. That is an entirely different problem, and I'm sure it's universal. In spite of those statutes they refer to.
This whole thing is certainly food for thought.
