What's New: President's Report

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PRESIDENT'S REPORT
Paul N. Brown, PS

January, 2010

NSPS Bulletin - ACSM Bulletin

Annual Meeting 2010 – We are about a month away from the Annual Meeting. The Central Chapter and Annual Meeting Committee have created a great program this year. The brochure should have been in your hands a couple of weeks ago. A registration form is included in the brochure. You can also register online at www.misps.org/events. The Causeway Bay Hotel and Conference Center has been undergoing renovations so our stay will not only be comfortable but have a new life to the facility as well. When calling the hotel to make your reservations tell them you are with the MSPS Annual Meeting. You can also use the code: MISPS10. We are looking forward to seeing new friends and old next month.

BLM Manual – An order for the new version of the Bureau of Land Management’s Manual of Surveying Instructions has been placed and delivery is anticipated to be in time for the Annual Meeting. As you may know, the manual has recently been updated for the first time since 1973. The manual is required reading in the states in which the method of surveying and identifying land parcels is the Public Land Survey System which was established by the Land Ordinance of 1785. It is used in some capacity in most states.

Northern Chapter Challenge – The Northern Chapter is challenging other chapters to make contributions to the The Schonstedt Humanitarian Demining Initiative. They will match the highest contribution of any one chapter up to the cost of one metal detector ($1,041.00). The program and the contributions is helping to led the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), which has assisted in getting 297 tools into the hands of UN demining teams in Laos, Somalia, Kenya, Tajikistan, Vietnam, Nepal, Egypt, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Croatia, Chad, Azerbaijan and the Darfur region of Sudan. Further information is available at www.schonstedt.com and from Bob Ebberson, Schonstedt Program Manager, at bebberson@schonstedt.com or (304) 724-4754.

Memorandum No. 15 – The MSPS County Surveyors Committee and the Remon Committee has recently sent out a letter to the Michigan County Remon Representatives asking for their opinions and comments on Memo No. 15.

The 2010 MSPS Board members were elected. The Board did not change from 2009. The Board remains; Paul Brown, President, Mark Powell, First Vice President, Pat Bentley, Second Vice President, Tim Platz, Treasurer, Jim Evans, Secretary.

MSPS Institute Raffle Tickets are available. Tickets can be purchased from any MSPS Institute Board member or through the Institute office at 517-484-6605. Tickets cost $100. Only 300 tickets are being sold. 1st place is $10,000, 2nd place is $1,500, 3rd place is $1,000. Last years 1st place winner was split between eight people that joined together to purchase the $100 ticket.

2010 Board Dates. This year the MSPS Board will continue to meet the first Thursday of each month. In an effort to defray costs, two of the meetings will be held in the meeting room at the MSPS Institute in Lansing.

Reenactment Group will be having their first outing on January 23, 2010 in Lansing. For additional information, please contact the MSPS Institute office.

Davenport University Intern – MSPS has partnered with Davenport University to provide an intern to help with duties in the office. Pinkie Byckes began working on Monday, January 11, for four hours a day. Pinkie is attending Davenport to earn a double degree in Human Resources and Management. Kay says she has adapted quickly to the routine of the office, she has good computer skills and has been a big help in the week that she has been here. An intern from Davenport is an employee of Davenport and subject to all of the hiring practices of the Human Resources department including background checks and skills testing.

New Life Members approved. Congratulations to three new life members; Glen S. Hackbardt, P.S., Kenneth Dunton, P.S., and Henry Mulder, P.S.. Congratulations also to Clive Cantor, P.S. a new professional member and Matthew Schuelke a new student member.