SURVEYORS ASSOCIATION OF WEST JERSEY

OPENING
President Bill Haggerty called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM. There were 9 members and guests present. This low attendance was probably a result of the Easter and Passover Holidays being celebrated this week.

GUEST SPEAKER
President Haggerty announced that we would hear from Frank Lenik, PLS, our guest speaker, to lead off our evening. Frank needed minimal introduction because he is so well known to the membership. Recently Frank was featured on the cover of our state publication “Coordinate” as “Surveyor of the Year”. Frank was depicted as “Super Man” with a flowing red cape and a magnetic detector in his right hand. This cartoon was generated by his surveyor friends, to highlight his most recent humanitarian work in which he spearheaded sending 150 detectors to 25 destitute nations. There these metal detectors are now being used in locating buried land mines, so natives and farm animals may be saved from life-threatening, accidental, explosions.

Frank spoke extensively about the need for surveyors to look to the future and expand their professional services to meet new needs. He spoke about the need for: wind farm surveys, solar energy surveys, foreclosed property surveys, high-definition scanning work, and partnering with other professionals. He said that we surveyors should find those things that we can do better than any other practitioner and then become expert in providing that service. For example, we are now expert in land-boundary-determination and flood-plane-work. We should seek new services that utilize the new technology being developed and available with “high-definition scanners” and “GPS systems”.

Frank also spoke about accuracy and precision. We need to treat all equipment as a delicate, precise, instrument. Call a transit an instrument, not a gun. Use the calibrated Base-Line regularly, at least once per year.

There were many comments and questions from the membership during the talk. President Bill thanked Frank for an informative talk with a lot of good ideas.

TREASURER’S REPORT
President Haggerty announced that Pete Burgess, Treasurer, was unable to attend tonight, so the report would be submitted next month.

NJSPLS BUSINESS
Lou Marchuk reported about NJSPLS activity. He spoke extensively about the recent NJSPLS Board of Directors Meeting held on March 10, 2009. Lou provided a written report (see Directors Report)which is attached as an appendix to these minutes.

COMMITTEE REPORTS
None

OLD BUSINESS
President Bill reported on the continuing problem concerning PDH Credits for attendance at our meetings.
He said that he expects to distribute previously earned certificates at our next meeting on May 14, 2009.

NEW BUSINESS
President Haggerty reported that he received a check from NJSPLS for our share of dues they collected in the amount of $230. He will give it to Pete Burgess, Treasurer, for deposit.

Bill also announced that his company had a rejection problem with the NJ State Inspection Station concerning safety lights they had mounted on their survey trucks. Call Bill if you have similar rejection problems.

Our next meeting will be on Thursday May 14, 2009 at Carlucci’s Waterfront. Our speaker will be Richard Castagna of NJDEP Tideland.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:40 PM. Moved, Second, Approved.

Allan Ritchie, Recording Secretary