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How To Protect A Bm?


mustanglx

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I was wondering if I should do something to try and protect a BM that may in the near future be in harms way.

 

Near by there is a BM that is located where a local builder is starting to build a few new homes, he just recently put in a few new driveways near by the BM.

Is there anything I can do or should do to try and protect it from being destroyed. I know that the local builder doesn't know it is there and right at the BM there is an old road that leads back into the woods, so I figure that if he does put in a driveway here it will be right at the BM and that he will most likely move the large boulder that the BM is located on.

 

Has any one had a first hand experiance with something like this?

If you did what did you do?

 

I figure that since they aren't placing that many new BM's might as well try and save one.

 

The BM that I am talking about is, KW1877

 

Thanks for any help.

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Would it be wise to mark it in someway? Like orange ribbon. I was even thinking of a carsonite post like they use for a witness post.

Or is that going to far?

I have seen several signs that can be purchased that used for marking survey markers, They are from Berntsen, www.berntsen.com.

They are only a few bucks no big deal, if that is all it would take to help and protect the BM I would get one and put one at the BM.

Or would me putting a sign or post up bring more attention to the BM and then that is what destroys it?

I guess I will have to stop and talk to the guy and find out just how much he plans to build in the area.

 

Thanks.

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There might not be any way to preserve it if its on private property, I would be careful about marking it up as that could serve to agitate someone who in turn with start calling NGS.

 

If it in a new sub-division maybe you can determine who the survey firm who did the work is and contact them. But often you run into people who will not pay any attention to you. I think I would contact the local government authority and see if they have a engineering dept with a surveyor or survey crew. Make sure you talk with someone with authority. Take a printout from the NGS site of the mark and inform them that you are concerned a valuable part of the local history is going to be lost by careless builders. Let them mark it up as they have legal standing to go onto private property.

Edited by elcamino
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I think it is right on the edge of the road right-of-way. It is about 8 feet off the edge of the road, and most local roads around here are not a full town lanes.

I didn't think it would be right for me to mark the location, its just that I would hate to see it disappear because someone didn't know what it is or didn't know it was there.

I will have to investigate who to contact. I know that the local townships do not have a surveyor, but I ave to imagin that they would know who to contact.

 

Thanks again.

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the other thing to consider is that the benchmarks are a useful tool, and assist in the progress of many civil endeavors. this includes widening roads, and creating new ones also. it's illegal to destroy a benchmark through willful negligence or malice, but i really don't think it's illegal to pave one over in the name of progress. after all, that's what RESET benchmarks are for. if the benchmark is especially old, or interesting in some other way than being a bronze disk, then it may be worthwhile to try to save it. However, if there's a $200 fine for destroying the benchmark (which likely won't be collected) and the developer faces $2000 to re-route a driveway, you can be sure which option he'll choose.

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This is a cool question, and believe it or not, there are solutions.

 

As discussed, we can bring the Bench Mark to the contractors attention. Interestingly enough Benchmarks are Valuable to Constructors As everything they build is usually to an engineered plan. If they know that Bench Marks are present in thier jobsite, they will often take pains to preserve them. There may be carelessness in some cases and contractors who wont care, and sometimes a bulldozer or excavator will remove a monument because the monument was not located in the first place. In the initial process of clearing land, many unknows become suddenly, Known! The operator simply does not see it and unknowingly removes it. at that point it is too late. When it comes to Contractors, the Residential Builders are the least likely to need the Bench Mark and the least likely to care. Commercial Contractors live and die by controlled survey. They will be interested in saving that mark. In either case, some will care and some will not.

 

In the case of Roads, say for instance in Asphalt and Concrete work, a riser will often be installed or lifted so that the work can take place without covering the monument, and afterwards the monument can still be accessed.

 

In this case, depending on the grade work that will need to be done for these driveways, the fact that a Bench Mark will be in the way need not be a problem. If it is in a location that is in the way, yet below the grade of the new drive way, a piece of pvc pipe can be placed as a riser and a monument cover fitted to the top so grading can continue, and access to the monument be retained. If it is in a location that is at or above the grade, the asphalt or concrete work can be incorporated up to the edge of the Bench Mark as long as care is taken to make sure the road around the monument can help keep it stable. In some cases the grade of a driveway can be altered to accomodate the Monument so that a monument cover can be incorporated over it.

 

A case scenario where we may not have a choice in saving a Bench Mark would be if say a mark were located in an area where work was to be performed that involved lowering the grade elevation by a large amount. Nobody is going to leave a Bench Mark sitting on top of a 16 foot pillar of dirt just because it is a Bench Mark. Usually the benchmarks are A, removed and not reported, B, reported to the NGS as an Oops, (the forgiveness rather than permission approach) or C, the NGS is contacted ahead of time and the NGS sends a State Advisor out to have a look. (this is how the ones that say RESET happen.)

 

If you think a Bench Mark is in jepordy, and you would like to see it preserved, diplomacy is always best. If you want to become involved yourself, call it to the contractor or land owners attention, with a gentle reminder that it would be cool if it can be preserved if possible and leave it at that. Then go to the NGS website to find the State Geodedic Advisor for your state: http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/ADVISORS/AllStates.shtml#ADVISORS Then contact them and advise them what is happening. Be sure to tell them what the PID is, the location, the description, what you feel is about to happen to the monument, or even how to find you so you can show them personally, and then they can officially take over from there.

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