(WVSPS surveyors that is)
Now is the time to start preparing your entries for the WVSPS Map Contest. The 2011 convention is coming fast. The deadline for entries is January 15, 2011. Don’t miss this chance to engage in some friendly competition, gain some recognition and even win some cash.
For many years the WVSPS board of directors has been searching for a way to provide the membership with an Executive Director. The job of an Executive Director would be to handle the day to day operations, assist officers and committees with completing their tasks between quarterly meetings and provide a communications director for the Society.
On April 17, 2010 at our quarterly Board of Directors meeting of the WVSPS, a motion was made and passed to allow the WVSPS Executive Committee to enter into an agreement with American Council of Engineering Companies of West Virginia (ACEC/WV) for the provision of Executive Director services.
The Executive Committee has met and had numerous discussions regarding the details of administrative services to be provided by an Executive Director. The Committee met with ACEC/WV and reviewed and approved the scope of services to be provided.
Throughout this process the Committee has maintained that only administrative duties are included in the agreement. ACEC/WV recognizes the need for WVSPS to preserve its identity and autonomy amongst the professional community and will strive to ensure that WVSPS maintains its identity, as defined by its customs, beliefs and values.
On June 1, 2010 we will open our new office in Charleston, WV. The new address will be:
West Virginia Society of Professional Surveyors
2007 Quarrier Street,
Charleston, WV. 25311
Our new phone number will be installed shortly and thereafter, we will provide you with this information. Our Website address will remain the same WVSPS.org. Our email address will be This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Our Executive Director will be Darrell L. Buttrick with assistance from Denise Gould. WVSPS will benefit from Darrell’s and Denise’s years of experience, in providing services as executive director and accounting manager, for many non-profit organizations. ACEC/WV office is located just ½ block from the State Capital, 2007 Quarrier Street, Charleston, WV. WVSPS will have a private room and additional storage space within their facility. A phone line will be installed and will be answered in the private room or the front desk as WVSPS. Some parking will be provided in the rear of the facility. A boardroom, restroom and kitchenette will also be available within the facility. Access to the facility during non-business hours will be limited to the WVSPS Executive Committee or its representative. Additional membership benefits, as setout in the agreement’s scope of services, will be announced at a later date.
I consider this decision, to hire an Executive Director, a move giving WVSPS an improved professional image and public profile, and a sound financial future. I believe this will ultimately provide a better service to our membership. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to direct them to me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Sincerely,
Allan J. Witschi, PS
WVSPS President
» Original source is provided at end of article «
The three-member West Virginia boundary commission said on November 19 that a survey done by a Virginia wind energy company to determine the location of the state line is accurate.
Governor Joe Manchin formed the commission after the company, Highland New Wind Development, LLC (HNWD), issued a site plan with the state line between Pocahontas County and Highland County, Virginia, redrawn on the base USGS topographic map.
The Pocahontas County Commission alerted the governor, who activated the commission and ordered an investigation.
Two members of the boundary commission, Charles Sypolt and Curt Keplinger, visited the site of HNWD’s proposed wind farm on October 31 to inspect the work of HNWD surveyor Jeffrey Hiner. A third member, Tom Rayburn, analyzed satellite and other data.
The boundary commission held the public meeting last Thursday at the State Capitol complex in Charleston to issue its preliminary findings.
In attendance were the three commission members, Craig Neidig, of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Mia Crookshanks, of the West Virginia Department of Transportation.
As its first official act, the commission appointed Sypolt, professor of land surveying at Glenville State University, as chairman.
Sypolt drafted a copy of the findings, which the commission reviewed.
The commissioners agreed that Hiner correctly determined the state line as the top of Allegheny Mountain, specified by an 1821 Act of the Virginia General Assembly.
Sypolt’s draft states, in part, “This established the Pocahontas County line and it was the clear intent that the boundary should run with the top or highest points of the Allegheny Mountain which is a natural monument. In surveying this is a monument of highest dignity.”
The commissioners also agreed that Hiner had used proper equipment to locate the high ground at the project site on Tamarack Ridge.
“Hiner used modern equipment in the proper manner to establish a portion of the state boundary on the top of Allegheny Mountain between West Virginia and Virginia,” the draft continues.
Keplinger said the ridge top is a somewhat flat plateau, which made the survey more difficult, but that Hiner had used correct technique to find the ridge line.
“Mr. Hiner has located the top of Allegheny Mountain by doing cross sections with a level, which is quite adequate,” the draft continues. “He has located these in numerous locations so there is little doubt as to the ‘top’ or high point on the ridge. Points could be established at an infinite number of points, but that is not practical.”
Keplinger explained that differences in technique caused the differences between the USGS map and the line established by Hiner.
“Mr Hiner’s survey is based on an actual ground survey,” he said. “USGS’s line is based on interpretation of an aerial photograph, only.
The commissioners will recommend that HNWD construct boundary markers in the area where two turbines are planned very close to the state boundary.
The draft states, “The Commission suggests that Mr. Hiner establish, and if necessary, re-establish permanent monumentation for the high points of the three cross-sections nearest to turbine site 1T and at the corner in which the boundary turns to the southwest near turbine site 2T. That these monuments be set at a cost to the owner/owners of the company installing the wind turbines.”
Rayburn volunteered to travel to the project site and double-check the GPS coordinates of any planned monumentation.
The next step for the commission will be to finalize their findings and prepare a report for the governor. Sypolt said the report would be completed within the next two-to-four weeks.
The chairman made clear that the commission’s responsibility included only accurate determination of the state boundary, not a determination of whether HNWD’s turbines encroach into West Virginia territory.
Sypolt said the concerns of the Pocahontas County Commission and the formation of the boundary commission were justified.
Rayburn concurred.
“I think any entity that has a stake in the land, be it for monetary purposes or permitting purposes, or whatever, has a right to have a boundary examined,” he said.
Geoff Hamill
Staff Writer
The Pocahontas Times
24 November 2009
More details to come!
