July 2005

CHURCH’S COMMENTS

IPLSA Museum of Surveying in Petersburg

With IPLSA Official Board of Directions approval on May 7^th, we have entered into an agreement with the Menard County Historical Society (MCHS) to start an IPLSA Museum of Surveying in their building on the square in Petersburg, Illinois.  The space is provided and staffed by MCHS volunteers on a limited basis at no cost to IPLSA.  The display consists of surveying instruments, chains, surveying prints and Ostendorf Lincoln surveying prints that I own.  Petersburg is a town that Lincoln laid out in 1836 and is 22 miles north of Springfield.

IPLSA members are encouraged to donate or loan items of historic significance to the museum.  Contact IPLSA to donate.  To find out the hours of the Museum call: 217/632-7363. 

Editor’s note: While visiting the museum stop by Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site two miles south of Petersburg and see the full-size Lincoln Deputy Surveyor statue.

Abe Lincoln at New Salem       

Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site will be adding a new program about land surveying.  Site Superintendent David Hedrick, told IPLSA that it was their intention to demonstrate historic surveying in the 1830’s reconstructed Village of New Salem on a regular basis.  This activity has been demonstrated annually by members of IPLSA at a special event but with the addition of reproduction surveying equipment this can be presented on a daily basis.  Ryan Alderman, a seasonal employee will be demonstrating the use of the reproduction Rittenhouse Compass and exact replica of the surveyor’s chain that Abraham Lincoln used when he lived in New Salem.  (Milton Denny, PLS made the reproduction of the Lincoln chain).  Ryan is recent graduate of PORTA High School in Petersburg and will be attending the University of Illinois this fall.  Much like Lincoln, Ryan is reading surveying books in an attempt to learn something about the profession.  He has found the Baber book, A. Lincoln With Compass and Chain particular helpful.  Actual hands on training will be provided by staff and members of IPLSA.  The surveying demonstrations will take place 5 days a week in the Pioneer Village until late August when Ryan leaves for school. 

Looking for Lincoln Project

Scattered throughout central Illinois are countless places where Abraham Lincoln traveled and lived. Those places are the real thing and they make up the experience that is called Looking for Lincoln.  It is a journey of discovery, of finding the people and the places that over time shaped this great figure.  It’s an opportunity to literally “walk in his footsteps.”  Nothing can replace that kind of experience.  It is our job to help make this recovery, find these places and “Look for Lincoln.”

I am working with the town of Petersburg, the Menard County Commissioners, the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, the Tourism Council and the Menard County Historical Society to include Petersburg, Illinois as one of the significant places.  These groups want Lincoln’s surveying career to be the highlight of their Looking for Lincoln efforts. 

The program in Petersburg will include what is called Text Rail that will be placed on the Courthouse lawn, which is just across the street from the new IPLSA Museum of Surveying and the survey marker of the stone that Lincoln set in 1836 at what would become the southwest corner of the square.  The Text Rail will include a map prepared by IPLSA member Tracy Garrison, PLS showing the towns and roads that Lincoln surveyed.

Additional Text Rails are being constructed at all Looking for Lincoln sites to help visitors learn more about the life of our 16^th President.

Illinois Display at the Museum of Surveying in Lansing Michigan

The Museum of Surveying in Lansing, Michigan has approved a plan to get surveyors from throughout the U.S. to become more aware of the museum. To that goal they are inviting state associations/societies to display items about their state’s surveying history.  Since I am on the Board I was asked to develop the first display. The display will be housed in a 6’x 4’x 3’ glass case with glass shelves. The display, which is being completed as I am writing this article, consists of Ostendorf Lincoln surveyor prints, a map of where Lincoln surveyed and a replica of Lincoln’s Rittenhouse Compass, Jacobs Staff and chain.  As soon as the display is completed we will include it on the museum’s virtual tour, which will be found at this web site.

NSPS Speaker’s Kit Available

The IPLSA office has received the long-awaited NSPS Speaker’s Kit intended for use to recruit young people into the profession of land surveying.  The theme of the kit is Measuring the World Around Us, a High-Tech Career in Professional Surveying.  It is specifically targeted toward students from middle school age to college age.  The kit can be used to present the surveying profession to individual citizens, civic groups, clients, realtors, attorneys, or any others to whom the message would be of interest.  The kit is easy to use and contains all the materials one will need in order to make presentations.

Please contact the IPLSA office to order one of the following:

• VHS of a flash movie that is narrated
• CD containing a Power Point narrated presentation, and a Power Point presentation with a script for the presenter to read from.

IPLSA is offering copies of the video or the CD at no charge, but will accept a donation of $10 to cover duplication and shipping cost.

Illinois NSPS Trig-Star Program

Now is the time to consider offering the NSPS Trig-Star Program in your local high school.  As soon as the 2005-2006 school year starts you should contact the math department of the high school and let them know about the program.  Later in the school year you should meet with the classes and show them a power point program that is available through IPLSA.  The actual exam should be given in May of 2006.  IPLSA has information that you can use to explain the program. 

Abraham Lincoln visits McDonalds

The next time you are traveling I-55, at the 109 exit, you should stop at the McDonalds Restaurant in the Love’s Truck Plaza and see a print of A. Lincoln, Deputy Surveyor of Sangamon County, Illinois.  I stopped by the McDonalds on one of my trips to New Salem and found that the theme of the restaurant was Abe Lincoln’s life in central Illinois.  I contact the owners and asked that if I gave them an Ostendorf Lincoln Deputy Surveyor framed print would they put it in the restaurant.  They graciously agreed.

Senate Bill 0075 and Its Affect On Land Surveying

It is predicted that effective August 1, 2005, all Illinois County Recorders will start collecting the Rental Housing Support Program Fund surcharge for the recording of all real estate related documents executed or signed on or after August 1, 2005. The Rental Housing Support Program Fund was established to assist in the need for rental housing. The Rental Housing Support Program surcharge will fund the program.

Under the program, recorders must collect a $10.00 surcharge for each real estate-related document. The recorder must deposit $1.00 of the surcharge into the county’s general revenue fund of which $0.50 must be used for the cost of administrating the surcharge. The remaining $9.00 must be sent to the Illinois Department of Revenue for deposit in the Rental Housing Support Program Fund.

The surcharge will apply to the following items:

·         Agreement/Options to purchase

·         Deeds/Contract of Deeds

·         Easements (except for public utility

·         Extensions

·         Foreclosures

·         Land Grants

·         Liens

·         Monument Records

·         Mortgages and Notes

·         Plats/Surveys

·         Subordinations

Note: The surcharge may apply to any document (e.g. affidavit, assignment, contract, covenant, correction, merger, offer) if the document is real estate-related.

Exceptions include any document solely related to an easement for a public utility or documents from any state agency, unit of local government (units of local government include counties, municipalities, townships, special districts and units designated as a local government by law) federal government, or school district.

Editors Note: I received a draft of the Illinois Department of Revenue’s interpretation of what documents would be covered by the surcharge. I e-mailed an attorney with the department and asked that they reconsider that monument records were to be included. I quoted the definition of a monument record from the Monument Recordation Act (765

ILCS 220/3.02) that a monument record means a written record and illustration document describing the physical appearance of a survey monument and its accessories.

I received an e-mail reply from Department of Revenue attorney Mark Dyckman stating:

“With respect to monument records, surveys and plats the Department intends to advise the recorders that these are subject to the fee. The reasoning is that the legislature placed the fee on “real estate related documents”. This is the broadest definition possible. The definition section of SB75 contains the language “affects an interest in real estate.” It is clear that the legislature chose not to define the fee requirements to require an actual transfer or conveyance as exists in the Real Estate Transfer Act.

In the Department’s opinion, monument records, plats and surveys clearly are real estate related documents. They also “affect an interest” in real estate through helping to define the boundaries of real estate which is used to determine ownership and resolve ownership disputes, and can effect marketability, permitting requirements and other locally regulated activities. If the legislature wanted the fee to only cover transfers, conveyances or other ownership changes it would have adopted the language of the transfer tax.”

I will continue to work to remove monument records from the surcharge, but for now you need to include the surcharge in your cost of doing business.