For all the extreme weather conditions surveyors have to sometimes deal with, there are those times that make you remember why you became a surveyor in the first place.
Words to live by…
“It’s unwise to pay too much, but it’s worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money – that’s all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot – it can’t be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better.”
Spring Showers Bring Update to FloodSmart.gov
For those anticipating the rainy season of Connecticut, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has recently released an updated version of their website, as part of the reforms that took place last month.
Here, you can find a detailed explanation of the amends to the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Act, and how they will affect you in the years to come.
Project Spotlight: Common Ground
Common Ground is now an uncommon sight for a High School. A project to install geothermal wells has recently entered construction phase. These wells will act to use the earth as a heat source (during the winter) and a heat sink (during the summer).
Project Spotlight: the Star Supply Building
Located on State Street in New Haven, the old industrial site is now the stuff of great plans. Recently, the City Plan Comission approved plans for the construction of some 235 residential units. This would involve demolishing most of the existing buildings, which have been vacant and locked up.
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Career Event at Common Ground School
“More so than ever before, being a surveyor requires a general knowledge of technology that you all already possess,” said Calvin Weingart, L.S., to a class of high school students at Common Ground School. As part of a career-event, Calvin and survey technician Peter Grunawalt from Godfrey-Hoffman volunteered to give a presentation about the land surveying profession.
The emphasis of the presentation was on several key points:
Bamboo-zled! State Holds Property Owners Accountable for Bamboo Growth
Within Connecticut, planting of bamboo has become popular, particularly along coastal areas. However, most are unaware of how quickly and extensively bamboo can spread, and hence, the new liabilities property owners assume when planting.
The particular type of bamboo under scruitiny is known to regulators as “running bamboo.” Though not considered an invasive species in Connecticut, it has a root system that is particularly adept at spreading underground, and if not carefully maintained, will spread from one property to another. According to an article published February 17th on OrangeLive.com, the “bamboo roots spread and travel underground far from the visible plants and new shoots can pop up just about anywhere. They are strong enough to tear up patios and foundations and destroy septic systems.”
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Derik Maloney Family Fundraiser
On January 24, 2014, we lost a cornerstone to the Godfrey-Hoffman and Hodge family, Derik Maloney. He was not only a cornerstone here, but also to his family; his wife Susan and two sons Kevin and Spencer. In his honor and to help out his family at this difficult time, there is a fundraiser being held in his honor on Saturday, April 5, 2014.
National Surveyors Week – March 16-22, 2014
Give your favorite surveyor a hug!
It’s National Surveyors Week!
President Obama Will Sign Flood Insurance Relief Bill
President Barack Obama is set to sign into law a bipartisan bill relieving homeowners living in flood-prone neighborhoods from big increases in their insurance bills.
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