MALSCE News

A monthly Massachusetts Association of Land Surveyors and Civil Engineers member newsletter

February/March 2025

MALSCE Sustaining Members: Allen & Major Associates, Inc., Beals and Thomas, Inc.,

Bluesky Geospatial Limited, Brennan Consulting, Inc., BSC Group, Inc., Crocker Design Group, DGT Associates, Eastern Topographics, E.T. Engineering Enterprises, Feldman Geospatial, Field Resources, Inc.,

Hancock Associates, Maine Technical Source, Merrill Engineers & Land Surveyors, Nitsch Engineering,

Resource Options, Samiotes Consultants Inc., Spiller's, Topcon Solutions Store, VHB, Inc.,

Waypoint Technology Group, WSP

MALSCE President's Message

2025-2027 MALSCE Board of Directors

The following members of the 2025-2027 MALSCE Board of Directors were elected and sworn in by NSPS Executive Director Timothy Burch at MALSCE's Annual Meeting on Friday, February 28, 2025.

2025-2027 Officers

President:

Paul S. Campbell, PE, PLS, CHESS Engineering, LLC

Vice President:

Shaine R. Bonin, PLS, Northeast Geospatial Consultants

Secretary:

Timothy R. Agurkis, PLS, Feldman Geospatial

Treasurer:

Kevin D. Arsenault, PLS, Nitsch Engineering

Past President:

Kenneth Conte, PLS, Beals and Thomas, Inc.

2025-2027 Directors

Eastern Massachusetts Chapter President:

Joseph G. Vozzella, PLS, Vozzella Design Group

Western Massachusetts Chapter President:

Timothy D. Armstrong, PLS, Berkshire Design Group, Inc.

2025-2025 MALSCE President Paul S. Campbell, on left above, introduces NSPS Executive Director Timothy Burch, on right.

2025-2027 MALSCE Board of Directors being sworn in.

2025 MALSCE Convention

The 2025 MALSCE Convention Was a Great Success

MALSCE leaders are pleased to report that the 2025 MALSCE Convention, which was held on Friday and Saturday, February 28 & March 1, at the Boxboro Regency Hotel & Conference Center, was judged to be a great success. The convention attracted 167 registrants, the highest number of attendees in more than a decade. Feedback from the participants who responded to MALSCE's request for input indicated that the convention was well-received.

A Convention Planning Committee, co-chaired by Joseph Vozzella, MALSCE Eastern MA Chapter president, and Paul Campbell, MALSCE vice president at the time, was charged with the task of developing and presenting this year's convention. After months of planning, with the help of MALSCE Western MA chapter leaders, this committee hosted a convention, which was organized under the theme "The Future is Now," and featured ten general and concurrent sessions, eleven exhibitors, MALSCE Annual Meeting & Awards Ceremony, and a reception and auction to benefit the MALSCE Education Trust.

to a professional land surveyor who has provided outstanding leadership for the profession. The MALSCE Awards Committee, which is comprised of the four most recent Surveyor of the Year Award winners, selected Stephen in appreciation of his exemplary years of service and positive impact on the Massachusetts Land Court. Committee members also found his willingness to keep MALSCE members apprised of relevant matters by participating as a featured presenter during Legal Perspectives on Land Surveying seminars, MALSCE convention, and other programs also commendable.

The tradition of selecting a Surveyor of the Year dates back to MALSCE’s early days. It allows the association the opportunity to honor and thank a leader who has been exemplary for their service to MALSCE, the profession and the community. You can see the names of the past award recipients on the MALSCE website.to a professional land surveyor who has provided outstanding leadership for the profession.

Ken Strom Given MALSCE Presidential Citation

Kenneth T. Strom, PLS, director of surveying at WDA Design Group, was the recipient of a 2025 MALSCE Presidential Citation during this year's annual convention. Presidential citations are awarded at the discretion of the MALSCE president to individuals who they feel have distinguished themselves by their contributions to MALSCE and/or the land surveying profession.

2023-2025 MALSCE President Ken Conte, PLS presented Ken with this award in recognition of his contributions to MALSCE as a MALSCE officer, president, Professional Development Committee chair, and long-serving Central Massachusetts Chapter president. Ken's dedicated service in these roles is noteworthy and demonstrates an exemplary commitment to improving the land surveying profession.

Ken, who was not able to attend the convention, will be given his award at a later date. 

Thank You to Our Convention Speakers!

MALSCE leaders would like to thank the following convention session presenters whose insightful presentations helped to make the 2025 MALSCE convention a great success. 

Shaine R. Bonin, Northeast Geospatial Consultants

Joseph B. Lichtblau, Esq.

Dan Martin, NOAA/National Geodetic Survey

William "Terry" McGovern, Franklin Cummings Tech

Elise Simard, SpeechComm, Inc.

Howard P. Speicher, Massachusetts Land Court

Paul J. Tyrell, HDR, Inc.

Thank You to Our Convention Exhibitors!

MALSCE leaders would also like to thank representatives of the following 2025 MALSCE Convention exhibitors for their participation and support:

Aerotas

Bluesky Geospatial Ltd.

CADNET Services, LLP

Carlson Software

Franklin Cummings Tech

Frontier Precision

Keystone Precision Solutions

Maine Technical Source

National Geodetic Survey

Resource Options, Inc.

Waypoint Technology Group

Thank You to Our Sustaining Members

and Convention Sponsors!

Members of the MALSCE Board of Directors and Convention Planning Committee would like to thank the Sustaining Members and Convention Sponsors for their financial support of this annual event. Click here to read more.

MALSCE Congratulates Convention Plan & Field Notes Contests Winners

One of the highlights of the 2025 MALSCE Convention was Friday's Plan and Field Notes Contests during which attendees were able to view a total of 30 entries and vote for the top plans in multiple categories, as well as the Plan and Field Notes of the Year. Click here to see a list of of contest winners.

MALSCE News

MALSCE Government Affairs Update February/March 2025

Click here to learn about government affairs news impacting MALSCE members including the opportunity to participate in Engineers & Land Surveyors Day + Water's Worth It Day at the State House, the appointment of legislative leadership for the 2025-2026 Massachusetts legislative session, and recent Massachusetts Board of Registration of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors discussions.

NSPS Director's Report

As the MALSCE representative to the NSPS Board, John Lloyd, PLS attends NSPS spring and fall meetings and provides periodic updates on NSPS undertakings. Click here to read his report on the fall 2024 NSPS meeting.

Take the Certified Survey Technician Exam in Worcester

Saturday, April 12, 2025

BSC Group, 1 Mercantile Street, Suite 610, Worcester, MA 01608

10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

BSC Group is hosting a Certified Survey Technician (CST) exams session on Saturday, April 12, at their Worcester office. Click here to learn more about NSPS/CST Program. If you are interested in taking an exam during this session, contact Jason Croteau, survey project manager at BSC Group, at jcroteau@bscgroup.com to register.

Join the MALSCE Public Awareness Committee

The MALSCE Public Awareness Committee is charged with promoting the general recognition and acceptance of the practice of land surveying and survey engineering and stimulating a greater interest in public perceptions affecting the profession. Committee chair David Prince, PLS, from WSP, has been holding regular meetings and committee members are visiting schools to promote a career in land surveying to secondary school students.

To see a full committee description, click here. If you would like to volunteer to serve on the committee, email David Prince at david.prince@wsp.com.

Lawrence C. Allen (1932 - 2025)

Members of the MALSCE Board of Directors are saddened to announce that Lawrence "Larry" Allen, PLS, co-founder of Allen & Major Associates, Inc., and former MALSCE member, passed away on March 17, 2025 at the age of 92.

Click here to read Larry's full obituary.

Other News

Donate to the MALSCE Education Trust

The MALSCE Education Trust is a 501(c) (3) organization that invests in students and educators for the future of the land surveying and civil engineering professions. Current initiatives include the annual MALSCE Education Trust scholarships for students of land surveying and civil engineering who are Massachusetts residents and ongoing support for the University of Maine Surveying program. Donations to the MALSCE Education Trust make these and other undertakings possible and available for you and future professionals. Please consider contributing today! 

You can donate to the Trust by downloading and completing a donation form, or click here to donate online.

Land Court Survey Data Update

The Massachusetts Trial Court has embarked on a large-scale project to fully digitize and make the Land Court Survey Division records publicly available. These include Land Court and surveyor’s plans, surveyor worksheets and calculations, as well as Land Court correspondence files.

Currently in progress is an initial Pilot Phase that will scan 5% of our survey records along with searchable data fields. The Pilot Project data will be merged with our Public Access Site and become available at: https://lcsurveyaccess.jud.state.ma.us/.

The Pilot Project is scheduled to be completed in mid-2025. Evaluation of the results will inform decision making regarding timing and budget availability to complete digitization of the remaining 95% of the Land Court survey records. 

Volunteer to Be a Surveying Judge at the ASCE Northeast Student Symposium

UMass Amherst's American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Student Chapter is hosting the 2025 ASCE Northeast Student Symposium from April 16-18 with students from all over New England and Quebec attending. Student Chapter President Samantha Yakscoe is looking for volunteers to help set up and judge the symposium's surveying competition on Wednesday and Thursday, April 16 and 17. This competition will include a poster session, interviews with teams from the student chapters, field tasks, and a banquet dinner. If you have questions or would like to volunteer, please contact Sam at syakscoe@umass.edu.

Letter to the Editor

To the Proprietor,

March 10th is a monumental day in my life, specifically March 10th 1995. This particular day never would have occurred if, in the spring of 1986, I had not knocked on a certain office door and handed my resume to the proprietor inside. The proprietor invited me in and set the course that would drastically change my life, for the better. ... Read more

NSPS News

Check Out "Surveyor Says" NSPS' Podcast

Want to hear from the movers and shakers of the surveying profession? Each week, NSPS brings you conversations with the trendsetters and difference-makers that are helping to shape the world of surveying. Your host, NSPS Executive Director Tim Burch, sits down with various personalities to discuss all things surveying, all bundled in a 30-minute conversation.

Click here to listen to a recent episode with Carl C. de Baca, a professional land surveyor in California, who discussed conditions of performing parcel tracement in post-disaster condition, biohazards to consider, and compilation of records research and data collection processes.

Become a Certified Survey Technician

No matter what the future holds, prepare to meet challenges head on. Future-proof your resume by becoming a Certified Survey Technician (CST). This unique four-level certification program indicates official recognition by NSPS that a person can perform surveying tasks at a specific technical level. Show what you can do! Decide between the field or office track. Click here for more information.

Check Out the NSPS Beasurveyor Website

Developed through a collaborative effort between NSPS and the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), the redesigned beasurveyor.com now includes more outreach resources to engage young people and teach about surveying.

Job Board

Looking to promote a job to MALSCE members? Click here to learn more about posting on the MALSCE job board.

Surveying Education Opportunites

Look to MALSCE News and the MALSCE website for information on available surveying education opportunities. UMaine has several different surveying degree and certificate programs available online, click here to learn more. Franklin Cummings Tech offers professional land surveying courses for those currently working in surveying. Other universities with online surveying and geomatics programs options include Ferris State University and Oregon Institute of Technology.

Affiliate Association Events

CALS Fundamentals of Surveying

Study Group Zoom Classes

Tuesdays, April 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29, 2025

On Zoom

5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

These online Zoom workshops, taught by Rachel Dearborn, will focus on material covered on the FS Exam, including horizontal curves, vertical curves, single/double proportioning, and more. 

Please contact CALS to register for these workshops.  

Engineers & Land Surveyors Day + Water's Worth It Day

Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Massachusetts State House, Room 428
9:30 AM - 12:15 PM

Register by April 28 to join other land surveyors and engineers at the Massachusetts State House for meetings with your State Representative and Senator. You'll discuss issues pertinent to your industry, and to you as an individual professional and citizen. These appointments will be scheduled for you and you'll have the opportunity to participate in advanced briefings on the issues being discussed.

Click here to learn more and register.

TECET Linowes Leadership Lecture: Stuart Danforth

Wednesday, May 28, 2025

The Conference Center at Waltham Woods, 860 Winter Street Waltham, MA 02451

4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Unlock your firm's potential with a focused lecture on cultivating leadership, navigating change, and building a powerful culture, presented by Stu Danforth, Director of Positive Leadership Dynamics and Professor at Boston College. He'll dive into identifying and promoting emerging leaders—from both senior and emerging talent perspectives, while equipping you with strategies to create an engaged, collaborative environment that attracts and retains top talent.

Click here to learn more and register.

TECET Annual Golf Tournament

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Marlborough Country Club, 200 Concord Road, Marlborough, MA 01752

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Click here to learn more and register.

MALSCE News is a monthly publication of the Massachusetts Association of Land Surveyors and Civil Engineers. This newsletter highlights the program and activities of MALSCE and reports on national and local matters of interest to land surveyors and civil engineers. While we cannot promise to print all news items that we receive, if you have one to share with your fellow MALSCE members please forward it to Rich Keenan at rkeenan@engineers.org.

Send your questions and/or comments to Michelle Monette, MALSCE, 

One Walnut Street, Boston, MA 02108, mmonette@engineers.org 

P: 617/227-5551 | F: 617/227-6783, www.MALSCE.org