 |
The Old Dominion Surveyor
The Old Dominion Surveyor is the official publication of the Virginia Association of Surveyors. It is published monthly and sent to members. All material must be submitted by the deadline noted for each issue.
Editor
Alison Hanson, LS
Committee
Khea Adams - Virginia Association of Surveyors
VAS 2019 - 2020 Officers and Directors
President.......................Gary M. Faulhaber
First Vice President..................Kevin Wood
Second Vice President........ Alison Hanson
Secretary/Treasurer.............. Chris Jensen
Past President............... Kevin D. Shreiner
NSPS Director............................. Will Nash
Region I Director....... Yeoanny Venetsanos
Region II Director..........Stephen Letchford
Region III Director.................... Judy Beale
Region IV Director................ Jessica Nash
|
|
|
|
Advertise
More than 400 members of the surveying profession in Virginia read
The Old Dominion
Newsletter. Advertising in the magazine is a great way to reach that audience! Our online publication allows you to link from your ad to your website.
Advertising Rates
Full Page
(7.5" wide x 10" high)
One Issue - $400
Annual - $3,000
Half Page
(7.5" wide x 4.74" high)
One Issue - $250
Annual - $1,500
Half Page
(3.5" wide x 10" high)
One Issue - $250
Annual - $1,500
Quarter Page
(3.5" wide x 4.75" high)
One Issue - $150
Annual - $800
Business Card
(3.5" wide x 2.0" high)
One Issue - $75
Annual -$400
- Submission Deadlines: First day of the month of the issue(s) selected
- Preferred Formats: Ads may be provided in black/white or color; please send layout-ready copy (compatible electronic files include .eps or .pdf files with all fonts and graphics embedded). All ads must be digital. Please send ads via email to Khea Adams at Khea@vasurveyors.org
- All advertisements are non-refundable
- If purchasing an Annual ad, you can change your ad monthly.
|
|
|
|
Register Today for the Winter Seminar!!
|
|
Register
today for the all-day seminar on
Reality Capture and the Surveyor’s Role in the BIM Process
presented by Brian M. Elbe, PS, Reality Capture Consultant, Leica Geosystems, Inc. and Shaun Lewis, PLS, Senior Manager, Reality Capture, Clark Construction Group, LLC and
Remote Sensing Techniques from Aerial, Mobile, and Static Collection Methods
presented by Robert Kundrick, PLS (Aerial/Terrestrial LiDAR); Joseph Kovach, SP (Photogrammetry); and Jonathan Austin (Mobile LiDAR), GPI Geospatial. These presentations will provide what you need to know about cutting edge, state-of-the-art surveying-related technology, applications of surveying data, and business opportunities. For more information on the seminar, abstracts, instructors, and to register,
click here
.
The deadline to make your hotel reservation at the VAS seminar rate at the Hyatt Regency Fairfax is
January 2.
Don't miss out make your hotel reservations today!
Click here
for information.
A reminder there will be a
Special General Membership Meeting
during lunch. If you are
NOT
attending the seminar, but will attend the lunch and membership meeting, please email
khea@vasurveyors.org
NO LATER THAN JANUARY 13
.
For more details and to register for the seminar,
click here
.
|
|
VAS and the Virginia Gernal Assembly
By Bruce Frederick, LS
Chair, VAS Legislative Committee
|
|
A decade ago, in the midst of the worst economic slowdown since the Great Depression, the VAS Board of Directors had to make painful and difficult budget decisions. With a lack of work resulting in individuals leaving the profession and VAS membership in decline, the Board had to reduce expenditures. That meant eliminating the cost of a lobbyist representing VAS before the General Assembly. The enactment of HB 1649 and SB 1594, to amend §15.2-3108 of the Code of Virginia to permit the use of GIS for locality boundary dispute resolution, was a clarion call to the VAS Board.
Adjustments to the budget for 2020 were made and funding for a lobbyist was provided. A search committee was formed, a RFP was issued, lobbying firm proposals were received, interviews were conducted, and the firm of McGuire Woods Consulting (MWC) was selected.
VAS is now in a position to rapidly and effectively respond to threats such as HB 1649 and SB 1594. Our lead lobbyist is L. Preston Bryant, Jr. Mr. Bryant is a former member of the House of Delegates, a former Secretary of Natural Resources, and a former officer of the engineering and surveying firm Hurt & Proffitt, based in Lynchburg. As a member of the House of Delegates, Mr. Bryant was the patron of the VAS-supported bill to create the Surveyor Photogrammetrist license, so he is no stranger to our profession and our association.
|
|
Recently, Mr. Bryant and his MWC colleague Margaret Rockwell met with VAS President Gary Faulhaber, First Vice President Kevin Wood, Executive Director John Palatiello and myself to begin our work on the 2020 session of the General Assembly. While VAS will not have any bills it is proposing, MWC will monitor those bills that are introduced on a daily basis. VAS will receive weekly email updates, and more frequent alerts if necessary, and conduct a weekly conference call with MWC while the General Assembly is in session. This will enable VAS and MWC to be aware of and respond to any legislation of interest to VAS in a timely manner. In the meantime, MWC’s attorneys are reviewing the white paper VAS produced earlier this year on the GIS boundary issue and will recommend a course of action on a potential conflict in the Code of Virginia between §15.2-3108, which authorizes the use of GIS for local government boundaries, and § 54.1-408, which governs the practice of land surveying. MWC will also determine location of Virginia survey firms relative to House districts so the VAS can focus on those Delegates that have the largest number of surveyors in their district.
There are already bills pre-filed in the General Assembly that will require our attention, if not our action. While no surveying-specific bills have yet been introduced, general business bills such as an increase in the minimum wage, project labor agreements, worker’s compensation, and prevailing wage, procurement, and right-to-work have been filed or are expected to be introduced.
VAS members will have the ability to review MWC reforms, as they are posted on the VAS website. If you have an interest in any bill, whether in support or opposition, your input to VAS in encouraged. It will also be important that every VAS member communicates with his or her Delegate and Senator as the need arises.
|
|
From the ODS Editor
Alison Hanson, LS
|
|
Holiday Greetings to my Fellow Surveyors and Friends:
I am not sure about you, but the weeks since the last letter as editor have flown by. Can you believe we will begin 2020 in only a few short weeks? As we prepare for the upcoming holiday, the staff at VAS has been busy preparing the monthly edition of ODS and I hope you like the updated look. I would like to thank Khea Adams for taking a few suggestions and making things happen.
I am excited to tell you that after visits to several locations by myself, John and Khea and through the negotiation efforts of our staff, a location for the convention in 2021 has been secured. The contract was signed in early December and the
Doubletree Williamsburg
was selected. The convention will be held on April 21-24, 2021. I am excited that VAS will return to Williamsburg, VA and all it offers in the spring of the year. Some of you may remember this location as a Marriott and a venue VAS held its convention in the past. Since then, the hotel has had some wonderful upgrades and offers the space we need and I am certain will enjoy, …………including those famous chocolate chip cookies upon your arrival.
The real work will begin at the start of the new year as I work on planning the details of the 2021 convention and the events. Our Vice President, Kevin Wood, has done a fantastic job planning the 2020 convention and left some “really big shoes to fill”. He has worked hard planning and executing every detail to make this convention a success, and I want to personally thank him for leaving me a great template to follow.
Every New Year we make resolutions, and I challenge you to resolve to be more active in your Chapters and VAS. Let’s all give back to a profession that has given us so much through the years, provided for our families and communities, and fostered friendships that will last a lifetime.
A great start will be in January 2020. We start our year out with an education seminar, special membership meeting, and the winter board meeting. Your board members, the Mount Vernon Chapter, the Education Committee and VAS staff have a very informative seminar prepared and registration is open on the website. I know we are all busy preparing for the holidays but don’t forget to sign up now, so you don’t miss the VAS room rate. Details and registration can be found on the VAS website.
On behalf of my family, we want to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We hope you celebrate it in the company of your loved ones receiving great blessings and discovering that there is no bigger gift than being together as a family, enjoying the peace and love of this beautiful season. I look forward to 2020 and seeing you in January!
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this month’s newsletter.
Respectfully yours,
|
|
Alison W. Hanson, L.S.
2
nd Vice President
Virginia Association of Surveyors
|
|
What's the Significance of April 1?
|
|
What's the significance of April 1? Well, it's April Fools Day. And it is VAS Executive Director John Palatiello's birthday!
But, contrary to a rumor and myth, April 1 is not the due date for VAS membership dues.
According to the VAS bylaws, "A member shall be dropped from membership in the Association for nonpayment of dues on April 1st of the year in which they become due."
All 2019 VAS members have been invoiced for 2020 dues. A membership year in VAS is from January 1 through December 31. All 2019 VAS memberships expire on December 31.
The VAS Board of Directors has approved the timing of invoicing for two reasons; (1) the dues year begins January 1, and (2) for tax purposes, it is advantageous for some members to pay their dues before December 31.
Don't delay and risk having your membership dropped for nonpayment. Please pay your dues promptly so you are a member in good standing throughout 2020.
|
|
President's Column
Gary M. Faulhaber, LS, RLS
|
|
Fellow Members:
By now our entire membership should have received notification of a Special Meeting of the General Membership on Friday, January 17, 2020.
Attached
is an update to that notice which includes the proposed motion along with VAS current policy in place.
Please note that the proposed policy change is in regards to the annual contribution to the VAS Education Trust being changed from:
- a mandatory contribution being 50% of the profits from VAS seminars
to...
- an annual contribution if such a donation is financially prudent.
Please be reminded that the Educational Trust funds are substantial and financially sound. It is the intent of the Board to allocate those profits to where they may be of the best interest to serve our membership.
Lastly, upon review of our by-laws, the second proposed amendment (contained in your letter) regarding a change to the definition of "mail" has been tabled. A change to our bylaws is required to be made at an "Annual Meeting". This will be deferred to our General Membership Meeting to be held during the Annual Convention in Virginia Beach, April 29 through May 2, 2020.
Respectfully,
Gary M. Faulhaber, LS, RLS
President - Virginia Association of Surveyors
|
|
Looking at being an exhibitor and or sponsor at the upcoming 2020 convention?
Click here
to register. Also, don't forget to make your
hotel reservations
before rooms sell out!
|
|
|
Winter Seminar, Special Membership Meeting, and Board Meeting
January 17-18, 2020
Hyatt Regency Fairfax
Fairfax, VA
72nd Annual Convention & General Membership Meeting
April 29 - May 2, 2020
Wyndham Oceanfront Hotel
Virginia Beach, VA
Make Hotel Reservations - Click Here
Summer Seminar and Board Meeting
June 11-12, 2020
Marriott Hotel - Short Pump
Richmond, VA
John Foster School
June 23-26, 2020
Virginia Commenwealth University (VCU)
Richmond, VA
Fall Seminar and Board Meeting
September 18-19, 2020
Hilton Garden Inn
Roanoke, VA
|
|
|
|
CONDO ACT Amended Effective October 1, 2019
|
|
Please note the 2019 updates to the Virginia Code regarding Chapter 19 - Virginia Condominium Act
Be prepared to update your Condominium Certifications to cite the updated § 55.1-1920 (A) and/or (A and B) in lieu of the repealed 55-79.58 (for use on or after October 1, 2019)
(Based on VAS executive review there have been no changes in this section of the code other than the new section number)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
