Judge backs Monroe over Bibb in border dispute

It appears

that this is more a case of archaeology than one of surveying, although the THOROUGH research of records is certainly involved. Running a straight line between two "known" end points shouldn't be that difficult. It's establishing those end points that has proven to be the bone of contention. I sure hope he gets ALL his due pay PLUS some kind of "bonus" for the delay in payment and the heartburn this has caused.

Andy

Hmmmmmm!

". . .while a straight, rather than swooping, line would connect the two corners."

Keith

After speaking

to someone who was involved in the case it APPEARS there is more to the case than was posted in the newspaper (surprise, surprise, surprise). Evidently the judge (for whatever reason, perhaps valid) did not take into account OLD county records that showed TWO ferries.

Andy

CRAPPED ON SURVEYORS

WHY DO SURVEYORS GET CRAPPED ON ALL THE TIME? THE LAWYERS GOT THEIR PAY. YOU DON'T SEE THEM LOSING COMPENSATION FOR LOSING THE TRIAL, THEN WHY IS OUR PAY ALWAYS CONTINGENT UPON HOW THE CLIENT REACTS TO OUR FINDINGS.

CRAPPED ON SURVEYORS

Why indeed Mr. Tompkins. I do not know Mr. Scarborough nor do I know the case in question. My response to your question instead will address the general reasons I have seen in the past.

Why does the surveyor tend to not be paid? First, I bet the attorneys had contracts with the counties that addressed payment for services rendered. Far too often surveyors have only oral contracts. When things go badly, an oral contract is pretty much like not having one at all.

I also wonder why Mr. Scarborough would let the County get that far behind in paying him. It would seem reasonable to require payment as the project progressed. I know there is zero chance I am going to let a client build up a balance due of more than $100,000 before raising a red flag and demanding at least a part of the payment.

It almost seems as if the County had the idea from the start that if they did not like the answer to the location of the line then they would not pay. That is a notion that has to be made crystal clear to the client right up front. The answer is the answer. Whether it comes out like the client wants or not is irrelevant to whether or not the Professional is paid.

Larry P

CRAPPED ON SURVEYORS

I don't mean to sound so vulgar, but we are dealing with a similar situation, where we are waiting to get paid by a certain city which of course seems to always take 30-60 while we are producing still. It just seems as though we get the short end of the stick. Yet the most important issue and or investment any american can make in real estate they trust to be measured and 'surveyed' by the cheapest measure monkey out there. Grrrrr!!!

CRAPPED ON SURVEYORS

>... the most important issue and or investment any american can make in real estate they trust to be measured and 'surveyed' by the cheapest measure monkey out there.

No offense Mr. Tompkins; but, much of the reason many in the public get "the cheapest measure monkey out there" is because we as a profession have done a poor job helping the public understand the importance of our work. That is not the fault of the public, the blame lies with us.

It is true that some people will always seek cheap, cheap, cheap. There is little to nothing that can be done for that crowd. But not everyone is that way. If you need proof all you have to do is look at the nearest parking lot or highway. Are they full of Yugo's?

Isn't a Yugo the cheapest thing going on 4 wheels? So why do so many people drive BMW's and fancy SUV's? Because they see the value in paying for something more than cheap, cheap, cheap. We as professionals need to invest our time in helping the public understand and appreciate the value that a good quality professional service can provide. Until we do, those cheapest measure monkey's will rule the day.

Larry P

PS: Did we talk at the WV Convention back in March?

CRAPPED ON SURVEYORS

A lot of the reason is that as a group we cannot agree on anything and even pride ourselves with finding conflicts with other surveyors. It's like a bunch of union guys always complaining about how the previous guys always did something the wrong way.

If you go to a different dentist and he wanted to rework all your previous dental work, or your cpa wanted to redo all your previous income tax returns, or your mechanic wanted to unbalance and rebalance all your tires eventually you are going to decide all those guys are complete idiots and try your best to stay away from them. When someone needs a survey they think we are all goofballs and just go with the cheapest they can find.

CRAPPED ON SURVEYORS

No, my boss was there, Mr. Ron Eastham was with the rest of the Eastham crew (Licensed wv licensed personel). Just sat for my LS, haven't heard yet.