ASPLS 2023 Fall Conference

The ASPLS 2023 Fall Conference will be held at the beautiful Guntersville State Park Lodge, October 23-26, 2023.

Hotel > Schedule > Registration > Session Descriptions > Speakers

Hotel

Lake Guntersville State Park Lodge
1155 Lodge Dr
Guntersville, AL 35976

Schedule of Events

Monday, October 23, 2023

10:00 AM Golf Tournament Benefitting Student Scholarships

4:00 PM – 6:00 PM: Exhibitors Set Up

5:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Dining Room - dinner is available for purchase. 

5:30 PM – 7:30 PM: ASPLS Board Meeting

7:00 – 10:00 PM: Social Time: gather with ASPLS friends and vendors in the Hickory Lounge.  

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

7:00 AM: Registration and Breakfast with Exhibitors

8:00 AM – 11:30 AM Session 1 [3.5 PDH] – Welcome and General Session on Survey Foot - Speaker Panel

9:00 AM Optional activity for spouses

11:30 AM – 1:30 PM Session 2 [1 PDH] Lunch/Awards Presentation, Officer Installation, Membership Meeting

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Session 3 [1 PDH] – Workforce Development presented by Jake Bonds

3:15 PM – 4:15 PM Session 4 [1 PDH] ASPLS Committee Meetings – all are welcome!

6:00 PM – 9:00 PM Back by popular demand: Casino Night. Have fun and win prizes! $20 provides you with $500 in chips. All proceeds benefit the ASPLS Student Scholarships.  You can turn your chips back in at the end of the night for more raffle tickets (every $500 in chips you get 1 raffle ticket).

Wednesday, October 25, 2023

7:00 AM: Registration and Breakfast with Exhibitors

8:00 AM – 4:00 PM CST Training

8:00 AM – 11:30 AM Session 5A [3.5 PDH] – Title Insurance and Boundary Surveys presented by Jeff Lucas

8:30 AM – 11:30 AM Session 5B [3 PDH] – Elevation Certificate Part 1 presented by Del Schwalls

9:00 AM Optional activity for spouses

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM Lunch with Exhibitors

12:30 PM – 4:00 PM Session 6A [3.5 PDH] – Setting GPS Control on a Project presented by Robert Martin.

12:30 PM – 4:00 PM Session 6B [3.5 PDH] – Elevation Certificate Part 2 presented by Del Schwalls

4:00 PM Exhibits Close; Raffles in Exhibit Hall

5:00 PM – 6:30 PM Dinner - Lakeside Pavilion

Thursday, October 26, 2023

7:00 AM: Registration and Breakfast

8:00 AM – 11:30 AM Session 7A [3.5 PDH] – Mock Trial presented by Jeff Lucas

7:30 AM – 11:30 AM Session 7B [4 PDH] – Standards of Practice Review Part 1 presented by Tommy Brooks, Jason Bailey, Tony Manary and Steve Strickland

Spouses program will have access to each of the meals and group activities and optional excursions. 

Registration 

Full registration: Available to members and non-members. Discounted early registration through September 25, 2023 Online Registration; Print Registration.

Individual session registration: Best for those that only want to attend THREE OR FEWER sessions.  Discounted early registration through September 25, 2023 Online Registration for MEMBERS; Online Registration for NON-MEMBERS; Print Registration.

Exhibitor Registration: A limited number of table top exhibits are available to companies to display products and services for land surveyors and engineers. Please note space is limited. Register online or see Print Registration.

Session Descriptions

Session 1: Milton Denny Moderator. First Speaker – Milton Denny PLS: History of our founding fathers, what legacy did they leave us. Is what they did still relevant today? Will their legacy still be relevant in another 300 years? Second Speaker – Steve Strickland, PLS: What role did my education at the Troy program play in making me what I am today? How will it serve me in the future? Third Speaker – Jason Bailey, PLS: What role can the state wide GIS play in having a data inventory of Alabama survey data. Should it be a mandatory part of survey records in Alabama? Fourth Speaker – Jeff Lucas: How will adopting the International Foot change the Standards of Practice? What legislative changes will need to be made to our survey laws? How do we keep other people from meddling in our survey law?

Session 2: ASPLS Annual Membership Meeting as well as our awards presentation. Non-members are welcome to attend but can not vote on any motions. 

Session 3: In today's rapidly evolving job market, it is essential for educational institutions and workforce development professionals to equip graduates with the necessary skills and knowledge to meet the rising demands of the workforce. This course provides a comprehensive overview of the strategies and best practices for creating, developing, and deploying graduates.

Session 4: Committee Meetings - more information coming soon.

Session 5A: The two most important documents relative to the ownership of property may be the Title Insurance Policy and the Boundary Survey. But what do these documents actually do for the property owner? What does the title policy actually cover and what doesn’t it cover? Does the survey of the property create any assurances for the landowner? What is the role of the ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey? These documents and other related matters will be discussed in order to answer these and other important questions. OBJECTIVES: To enhance professional competency and improve practitioner’s knowledge of the law as it relates to the practice of land surveying.

Sessions 5B & 6B (must register for both to earn PDH certificate): This course will provide detailed training on completing a FEMA EC accurately and in its entirety, allowing full compliance with any program that requires submission of a FEMA EC, including the NFIP and CRS. The material will cover common errors and omissions, review of the various building diagrams, and real-world examples.

Session 6A: Robert Martin will teach you how to process static files and adjusting your network to tighten up the project control.

Session 7A: This mock trial is loosely based on the case of Dowdell v. Cotham, a case involving neighbors who for over 20 years lived in happy-peaceful-coexistence, until one of the neighbors hired a surveyor to survey his property. After that—well—let’s just say that things were never the same. This seminar will explore the world of civil litigation through a mock trial based on a real-life boundary dispute case. Through audience participation, volunteers will play the roles of attorneys, landowners, lay witnesses and expert land surveyor witnesses; the seminar leader plays the role of judge. The remainder of the audience will be divided into jury pools, each with a foreman spokesperson. The size and number of juries will be determined by the size of the remaining audience. The trial will include elements of Dowdell v. Cotham, with features of other boundary dispute cases utilized as appropriate. The trial will be held and the juries will deliberate. Following deliberation, each jury will then render their verdict, and discuss their reasoning. Each jury will be required to field questions from the trial participants and other juries, and defend their verdict. This seminar is designed to demystify the litigation process and explain the rules of engagement that will be used in court. Volunteers will be required to play the roles of the attorneys, the parties and the witnesses.  OBJECTIVES: To enhance professional competency and improve practitioner’s knowledge of the law as it relates to the practice of land surveying.

Session 7B: Alabama Standards of Practice review to discuss possible changes to the standards. Qualifies for your Alabama 4 PDH required education.

Speakers

Del Schwalls: BS Environmental Engineering, Mercer University, GA; 22 years in floodplain management and water resources engineering, specializing in floodplain modeling and mapping, NFIP and local floodplain management regulations, and the FEMA EC; teaching EC training courses across the nation for 8+ years

Robert Martin: Robert is a licensed Surveyor in Arkansas and Mississippi employed by Navigation Electronics since 2006. Robert was nominated and elected by his peers to serve as President of the Arkansas Society of Professional Surveyors in 2011-2012.

Jeffery N. Lucas, JD, PLS, Esq.: Jeff is a licensed land surveyor in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee. He is also a licensed attorney in the State of Alabama. Jeff is a recognized expert in land boundary law, riparian rights, and land surveying liability issues. He has practiced land surveying throughout the five southeastern states in which he is licensed. Jeff is also an author, columnist, lecturer and seminar presenter. He has authored three books on surveying, has over 100 nationally published articles and over 30 titles in his seminar library. Jeff has presented continuing education seminars at conferences from Alaska to Florida, from California to Nova Scotia, and most places in between. More information on Jeff can be found at: www.lucasandcompany.com

ASPLS has reserved the following discounted nightly room rates for attendees, based on the room type:

Single Queen $117.00
King $137.00
Double Queen $137.00
Double Queen Bluffside $148.00
Mountain Top Chalet $150.00
Cabins $175.00 

Please note that room rates are subject to lodging tax, city and state surcharges, as well as a 4% resort fee.  Rates reflect occupancy by up to 2 people.  There is a $10.00 per person charge for each additional person.  Check-in begins at 4:00 pm and your guests may check out any time before 11:00 am.

To Reserve Your Room: call 256-505-6621 and mention our group code [  ASPLS – 9913   ]. Guests can also make reservations online at https://www.alapark.com/lake-guntersville-state-park-reservations. Please note that a deposit is required for each reservation made. Deposits are the sum of one night’s lodging plus taxes and are due at the time the reservation is made.