MALSCE News A monthly Massachusetts Association of Land Surveyors and Civil Engineers member newsletter.  September 2020

MALSCE Sustaining Members: Airworks Solutions, Inc., Allen & Major Associates, Inc., Beals and Thomas Inc., Bluesky Geospatial Limited, BSC Group, Inc., Carlson Software, DGT Associates, Eastern Topographics, Feldman Land Surveyors, FARO Technologies Inc., Hancock Associates, Keystone Precision Instruments, Maine Technical Source, Nitsch Engineering, Samiotes Consultants Inc., Smart Vent, Inc., Spiller's, Topcon Solutions Store, VHB, Inc., Waypoint Technology Group, Wentworth Institute of Technology

Upcoming Events

MALSCE Proprietors’ Council Meeting Free to All MALSCE Members Friday, October 2, 2020 Zoom Video Meeting 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM Moderator: Michael Feldman President and CEO, Feldman Land Surveyors, Chair, MALSCE Proprietors’ Council  Continuing our ongoing discussions of business matters and MALSCE undertakings, agenda items for this virtual Proprietors’ Council meeting will include: Pulse of Business Challenges of Managing a Remote Workforce How to Keep Company Culture During Remote Working MALSCE Point Cloud Scoping and Acquisition Best Practice Guidelines Update from MALSCE President Click here to learn more and register Surveyor-in-Training Refresher Course Saturday, October 10 and 17, 2020 Zoom Meeting 8:00 AM - 12:30 PM with a half hour break Instructor: Clark R. Donkin, PLS, District Survey Supervisor, MassDOT Highway Division MALSCE is pleased to offer a Virtual Surveyor-in-Training Refresher Course this fall. This course will take over two Saturdays, October 10 and 17, 2020. Each session will last from 8:00 AM - 12:30 PM with a half hour break. Subjects to be covered are as follows: General Information and Sample Exam Water Boundaries Basic Boundary PLSS Overview Survey Math/Calculations GPS/Photogrammetry Registration Deadline Extended to Friday, October 2, 2020 Click here to learn more and register

MALSCE Updates

Renew Your MALSCE Membership Today MALSCE leaders would like to thank all MALSCE dues-paying members who have paid their fiscal year 2021 dues. Your timely payment helps ensure that MALSCE has the financial support that is needed to sustain its operations. Prompt payment of your dues invoice will ensure that you continue to receive the numerous benefits that MALSCE has to offer through June 30, 2021. Second MALSCE Dues invoices were emailed earlier this month. If you did not receive or retain your MALSCE dues invoice or you have any questions, please email malsce@engineers.org.

Become a MALSCE Sustaining Member The Massachusetts Association of Land Surveyors and Civil Engineers (MALSCE) is pleased to announce its 2020-2021 Sustaining Membership Program. Promote your company or educational institution to over 400 MALSCE members and demonstrate your support of the land surveying profession by becoming a MALSCE Sustaining Member today! For $500, your organization can become a Sustaining Member for the 2021 Fiscal Year as well as the 2021-2022 sustaining member renewal period which lasts until Fall 2021. Click here to learn more.

MALSCE Government Affairs Update - September Click here for Government Affairs activities and news for MALSCE members. Learn more about important renewal Information for all licensees in Massachusetts, the Board of Registration of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors Advisory on the Use of Job Titles that include the term “Engineer” or “Surveyor”, the Board of Registration Response to FAQ on Professional Engineers (PE) Certifying Site Plans with Property Lines, and more.

Surveying News

CDC Guidance for Working in Sewers Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, a number of MALSCE members have contacted MALSCE seeking safety guidance for surveyors who have to collect invert data of sewer lines. While MALSCE leaders are not able to offer any such advice they have directed that hyperlinks to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance be shared with members and posted the MALSCE website’s COVID-19 Resources and Guidance for MALSCE Members landing page. While the CDC offers no guidance specific to this task, sources of relevant CDC guidelines include Information for Sanitation and Wastewater Workers on COVID-19 and Guidance for Reducing Health Risks to Workers Handling Human Waste or Sewage.

Help MassGIS by Responding to Their Survey MassGIS is working to better document its value to those who use our resources and services. We know the survey and engineering community is an important constituency and we would like to learn more about what resources and services you use, how important are those resources and services, and if there is a service or resource that we do not provide that you would find useful. Please respond to this short (3 - 10 minutes to complete) survey. We are especially interested in examples of how MassGIS services or resources have saved you time or money. While providing the details of those examples takes a little extra time, please know that those examples are incredibly useful. Survey results will be generally useful while also providing information that will be very helpful in explaining to our senior management how MassGIS benefits the Commonwealth.

Professional Surveyors Needed for DoL Statistics  The O*NET Data Collection Program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (DoL), is reviewing their description of surveyors and seeking the input of expert surveyors. As the nation's most comprehensive source of occupational data, O*NET is a free resource for millions of job seekers, employers, veterans, educators, and students. The database, available to the public at no cost, is continually updated from input by a broad range of workers in each occupation.  MALSCE members who meet the O*NET occupation expert criteria have the opportunity to participate in this important initiative. Your participation will help ensure that the complexities of your profession are described accurately in the O*NET database for use by the American public.  Click here to learn how to participate

NSPS News

NSPS General Membership Meeting A General Membership meeting has been called for Friday, October 30, 2020 to consider action proffered as a result of the impact of COVID-19 on terms of office of NSPS leadership, and a proposal to stagger the terms of office for the NSPS positions of Treasurer and Secretary. To view the motions, click here. Information for registering will be posted on the NSPS website.

Donate to the NSPS Foundation's Disaster Relief Fund The NSPS Foundation’s Disaster Relief Fund was created to help those in need. With the most recent disasters in IA, LA and TX our funds could be depleted quickly. We are asking you, in this time of need, to consider making a donation to the Disaster Relief Fund. Please help! You can make a donation online or send in a check to NSPS Foundation, 5119 Pegasus Court, Suite Q, Frederick, MD 21704 and reference DR in the memo field. All donations are tax deductible. On behalf of those in need, Thank you!

Become a Certified Survey Technician No matter what the future holds, prepare to meet challenges head on. Future-proof your resume by becoming a Certified Survey Technician (CST). This unique four-level certification program indicates official recognition by NSPS that a person can perform surveying tasks at a specific technical level. Show what you can do! Decide between the field or office track. Visit http://www.cstnsps.com for details.

Classified Advertisements

Professional Land Surveyor Horizons Engineering, Inc., a regional engineering, surveying & environmental services firm with offices in New Hampshire, Maine & Vermont is seeking a qualified candidate for a Professional Land Surveyor located in our Littleton, NH office. The applicant must have a minimum of ten years’ experience in performing land surveying tasks including land records research, boundary reconnaissance and field surveying, existing conditions, topographic and construction surveying and all related office computations and computer assisted drafting skills, with minimum of four years in a supervisory position or as a solo operator providing professional land surveyor services. The applicant should be licensed in New Hampshire (or an adjoining state with the ability to become licensed within one year in NH) and demonstrate the ability to produce estimates and budgets, prepare contracts and manage surveying staff and projects.  A valid driver’s license and suitable transportation and capability of working out-of-doors in urban, rural and wooded/mountainous environments is required. Benefits include: Rural work environment and quality of life; Competitive salary and medical benefits; Paid vacation and sick time; Company 401k; Continuing education support; and Supportive work environment with ample opportunity for career advancement.  For more information or to apply please visit https://horizonsengineering.com/careers

Professional Land Surveyor  Well established Professional Land Surveying Company seeks experienced PLS to join our team as a Project Manager. Candidate must be proficient in Civil 3D and Carlson Survey software as well as Excel and Word. Responsibilities will include performing boundary calculations, on-line and in-person registry research, performing building calculations for construction, preparation of construction documents/worksheets, plan reviews and project management. Candidate must be highly motivated and detail oriented and have strong leadership and organizational skills. Welch Associates was founded in 1993 and is a professional company that maintains the highest standards of care. Employees work seamlessly as a team to complete projects efficiently and accurately. We offer highly competitive salaries and an excellent benefit package. If interested, please email Pamela Welch at pwelch@welchinc.com. All inquiries shall be treated as confidential.  www.welchinc.com

MALSCE News is a monthly publication of the Massachusetts Association of Land Surveyors and Civil Engineers that is produced by Emily Devane, Abbie Goodman, and Richard Keenan with thanks to MALSCE President Darren Hardy. This newsletter highlights the program and activities of MALSCE and reports on national and local matters of interest to land surveyors and civil engineers. While we cannot promise to print all news items that we receive, if you have one to share with your fellow MALSCE members please forward it to Rich Keenan at rkeenan@engineers.org.

Questions or comments? Emily Devane,  One Walnut Street, Boston, MA 02108, edevane@engineers.org  P: 617/227-5551 | F: 617/227-6783, www.MALSCE.org