Letter: RBC surveyor bids farewell

After 34 years in public office as your county surveyor, I gave my last speech to the Republican Party County Assembly April 11. Most of what you read here was presented at that meeting.
So I would like to share with you the last 34 years in a brief few minutes and hit some professional highlights.
In 1976, after becoming your county surveyor I actually sat down and wrote some goals for myself. Those goals in the beginning remained foremost in my mind to this day.
n To raise the public view of the office of county surveyor and standard of surveying, in general, in Rio Blanco County.
• To provide footprints or tracks of yesterday’s and today’s work for tomorrow’s surveyors.
• To always do the best possible job for you whether in the field or in the office writing a legal description or preparing a map.
Part of this goal process involved the following:
Some time ago, I got tired of hearing from different sources that by Colorado State statutes my only job was to resolve boundary disputes. Well, I assure you the county surveyor does a lot more than that. So I took it upon myself to write a new job description for the county surveyor — in government you need a job description. That job description was presented to the CACS (Colorado Association of County Surveyors). We tweaked it, adopted it and it went on the PLSC (Professional Land Surveyors of Colorado). Then it was sent to every county seat in every county in Colorado.
I wondered what I might do to benefit the taxpayers of Rio Blanco County as your county surveyor. It came to me that if I could save the corner monuments (the object set in the ground marking property corners) it would save the public considerable cost when the time came they needed a survey done in the private sector. How many thousands of these monuments were saved? I lost count.
To go along with leaving tracks whenever a county survey was done or mapping projects were completed, there exists today a paper trail.
I also knew that even though living in Rio Blanco County, I needed to stay in tune with my profession. So with this, I need to explain the hierarchy of my profession.
First, at the top of the list is DORA (Department of Regulatory Agency). Then with DORA is the State Board of Registration for professional land surveyors, engineers and architects. The state board is the one that issues our licenses, can take them away and makes rules and regulations that govern our profession.
Over to one side is the PLSC (Professional Land Surveyors of Colorado). The PLSC is the voice of surveyors of Colorado. As fingers stretching out from the PLSC are chapters. The chapters were formed due to geographic reasons. And then over to another side is the CACS (Colorado Association of County Surveyors). So, let’s start with the CACS. I am a charter member of this organization and still director.
Then the PLSC chapter was the catalyst in the formation of what is titled NW1/4 CLS. This chapter is active and doing well.
Now the PLSC‚ I served on the board of directors for four years, was a guest speaker at our annual convention and received from my peers “surveyor of the year” award. Quite an honor.
Back to the State Board of Registration. I was appointed to a special review committee and twice asked to put my name in the hat for appointment as a director.
So you can see that I am not only involved professionally locally, but statewide as well.
One weekend I was helping a friend, Frank Kubin, stake out his house for construction. As always house corners were set, offsets set and lath with all the normal data marked and rechecked. Upon which Frank said something like this. ‘Good Lord, Joy, you are ‘Peter Precision.’ I was just digging a hole. The nickname has stuck over the years. I became “Peter Precision.”
Something ironic: We all watch the tube to see what is taking place at the national level today. A memory came to me while doing the same. Years ago I received a form letter from “the Board of Immigration and Naturalization.” Upset, I called Grand Junction — don’t go there. I called Denver and a lady informed me that in order to become a county surveyor I had to prove that I was a natural-born citizen of the USA. What did that mean? I had to produce a birth certificate. Well, I guess that doesn’t hold true for some offices today.
Here is the part of my speech to coincide with the Academy Awards: Over the long haul there are some people that I need to say thank you. First, my family. Next, you folks — the Republican Party for your support over the years. Then a tribute to the late Bob White. Bob White was Rio Blanco County Abstract, located upstairs in the courthouse when I arrived. Without Bob, my road would have had a lot more potholes to contend with. Then there is Stan Cook. Even though Stan was employee of mine, he also did a lot of the surveys and mapping of county work. So you could consider him a deputy county surveyor. People like Stan just don’t come around very often. Next are two ladies that I need to thank — Teresa Anderson, who always was supportive of me and the office of county surveyor. When attending county commissioner meetings relative to budget or just special hearings or I just needed something county-related.
Peggy Shults is next. Over the years, I bugged Peggy for maps, legal descriptions, surveys, Bob White’s drawings and advice. Always with a smile, she would come through.
In more recent times, I thank the following: county commissioners for their support, road and bridge department for allowing me to do their county-related work, elected officials and their staff in the courthouse I frequented for research. Clerk and Recorder Nancy Amick and Assessor Renae Neilson were always easy to work with and helpful.
It is time to pass the torch to the next generation and I’m sure you will support Leif Joy as your next county surveyor in his endeavors as you did me. The Republican Party has at ready shown support by nomination, seconds and allowing Leif to be on the ballot. He is a most qualified candidate and will need the county commissioners’ support when elected as your next county surveyor. The purse strings are held by our county commissioners, but as you have read above, your county surveyor can provide all taxpayers and Rio Blanco County with very positive benefits.
Once again thank you.
Each speaker running for public office was alloted only a couple of minutes at the podium, but because I am no longer running for county surveyor, timekeeper Mr. Doug Overton allowed me the opportunity to exceed that time in my farewell speech. Thanks, Doug.
Jim Joy
Meeker