June/July 2024 President's Message

Dear Members of MALSCE,

This is the first installment of my President’s Message for the new fiscal year and I would like to acknowledge a few of our achievements over the past year. Most notably, we continue to increase our membership and attendance at our convention. Our 2024 convention attracted the highest number of attendees in more than a decade. Participation in the Plan and Field Notes Contests also had the highest number in many years with 42 entries. We will continue to improve and promote these events in order to increase member participation and continue on our path of success. This past year, we worked to improve awareness of careers in land surveying by having Public Awareness Committee members visit a number of high schools throughout the region. We intend to expand this effort and have identified kick-starting our Massachusetts Young Surveyors Network as a goal for the upcoming year. At MALSCE we are committed to supporting our young surveyors and encouraging them to join this network. We’ll also be looking to our Proprietors’ Council members to provide opportunities for their staff to pursue their professional development and become the next generation of professional land surveyors. Additionally, during the last year, we were able to resume holding quarterly Proprietors’ Council luncheon meetings. I’d like to thank Proprietors’ Council Chair Mike Clifford from DGT Associates for accepting this leadership role and running these meetings. Lastly, we have become more involved with the MA Board of Registration of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors’ enforcement of 250 CMR and professional practice guidelines. We coordinated the submission of several complaints on professional practice violations and our Executive Committee is in the process of sending a letter to many municipalities, organizations, and the Registers of Deeds outlining our stance on adherence to these professional guidelines.

There are several upcoming professional development opportunities in August and September. On August 23, we will be hosting a webinar featuring NOAA presenters that is titled “Rising Tides & Changing Waters: NOAA’s Plan to Update the National Tidal Datum Epoch.” Please sign up for this important learning opportunity. In September, we will be holding our Principles and Practice of Surveying Exam Refresher Course for those individuals preparing for this exam. This webinar series is presented by Carlton Brown from the University of Maine and Ian Wisuri. We also plan to hold our one-day Fundamentals of Surveying Exam Refresher Course, which is taught by Clark Donkin from MassDOT.

The Board of MALSCE is committed to upholding the standards of our profession and promoting adherence to the professional practice standards of 250 CMR. We have formed a subcommittee to address increasing awareness and compliance with 250 CMR. I invite members interested in assisting with this effort to please contact Rich Keenan at rkeenan@engineers.org. 

Lastly, I encourage everyone to donate to the MALSCE Education Trust, which seeks to enhance the profession of land surveying and civil engineering by awarding scholarships and grants to students and educators. Click here to learn how you can contribute to this charitable organization. 

As MALSCE president, I continue to be honored to serve this association and lead in the mission to promote the highest standards of professionalism and excellence in our field. MALSCE is here to foster the development of the profession, share knowledge, and create resources that benefit us all. Together, we can continue to advance the field of land surveying and provide valuable services to our clients and communities. I hope that you find MALSCE’s undertakings and my monthly MALSCE News President’s Messages helpful in this regard.

Thank you,
Ken Conte, President
MALSCE