We are proud to receive many award-winning recognitions by our clients

Degrove Awarded Contract with Jacksonville Aviation Authority

Degrove Surveyors has recently been awarded a contract with the Jacksonville Aviation Authority.  The contract is to provide surveying and mapping services to the Authority on an as-needed basis for up to the next five years.  Degrove looks forward to the opportunity to develop a positive relationship with the Authority.

Degrove Attends 2011 FSMS Conference – Ray Niles Honored

Degrove was once again well-represented at the 2011 Florida Surveying and Mapping Society (FSMS) Annual Conference, located this year at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine.  Ray Niles (pictured above, right), Degrove President and Past President of FSMS, was awarded the highly respected Life Member Award for his years of service to the Society and the profession.  Mr. Niles accepted the award and received an enthusiastic standing ovation. 

In addition to five Degrove employees being in attendance, a number of personnel also contributed to the planning and production of the conference by serving as chairpersons on various committees.  Degrove Vice President, Tom Tracz, served as the Golf Tournament Committee Chair; Randy Tompkins served as the Exhibit Hall Committee Chair; and Tyler Tracz served as the Fishing Tournament Committee Chair.

The Conference always serves as an enjoyable opportunity to reconnect with friends and communicate about the current happenings in the surveying profession.  Degrove thanks FSMS staff, officers, members, presenters, volunteers, vendors, and the Crown Chapter for making this year’s Conference another great success!  Degrove also congratulates the following individuals:

• Dale Bradshaw for being awarded the FSMS President’s Award in appreciation for his dedication and service on the Membership Committee and as State Secretary.

• Kathy Wade of the FSMS Crown Chapter for winning 2011 Chapter President of the Year.

• Crown Chapter Cooking Team for winning the 10th Annual Bar-B-Q Cook-off in our first year entering.

Degrove President, Ray Niles (left), VP, Tom Tracz, and wife Sherry, at the Welcome Bar-B-Q.

FSMS Crown Chapter, Bar-B-Q Cook-off winners

Degrove’s Will Pyle fighting a fish at the Annual Fishing Tournament.

Tom Tracz (right) and Dale Bradshaw (left) accepting awards for 3rd Place in the Golf Tournament.

Degrove’s Tyler Tracz distributing awards for the Annual Fishing Tournament.

Degrove Approved to Serve SRWMD

Degrove Surveyors has been selected as an approved surveyor by the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) for the 2011-2012 Fiscal Year.  The District manages water and other related resources in all of Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor, and Union counties, as well as parts of Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Jefferson, Levy, and Putnam counties.  Degrove has over a decade of experience serving other water management districts in Florida, including St. Johns River, South Florida, and Southwest Florida.  Our services have included boundary, topographic, monitoring well site, hydrographic, control, as-built, and wetland surveys, as well as many other general surveying duties.  Degrove looks forward to the opportunity to develop a positive working relationship with the District.

Degrove Provides Survey Support for JEA Total Water Management Plan

Degrove has been providing survey support on Segments 3 and 6 of the JEA Total Water Management Plan (TWMP).  The goal of this pipeline project is to deliver potable water from the west side of the St. Johns River to Cortez Road.  The total corridor is nearly eight miles long, with Segments 3 and 6 encompassing over three miles of the route .  Since 2008, Degrove has also completed hydrographic surveys in the St. Johns River and provided survey support for preliminary recon on possible routes for the TWMP.

This summer, Degrove completed Topographic Route Surveys for both Segment 3 and Segment 6.  These surveys were completed to determine the existing site conditions for design considerations in construction for the TWMP Pipeline Project.  Degrove established control on each segment.  The vertical control of the individual segments were tied together and adjusted through a network of level runs that Degrove has built over the last 13 years. Location included all above ground features within and 10 feet outside the right-of-way.  Cross-sections were surveyed at 100-foot intervals and at significant breaks in grade.  Pipe inverts and underground utilities were also located.  Deliverables included electronic CAD files and printed hard copies.

Segment 3 began on Rio St. Johns Drive at Matanzas Way and proceeded easterly along Matanzas Way to Argo Drive, then northerly—through the transition from Argo to Bretta Street—to Commerce Street, then easterly along Commerce, crossing University Boulevard, to Westdale Drive, then northerly along Westdale to the JEA Water Treatment Plant – the total length of the route for Segment 3 being approximately 8300 feet.

Segment 6 began near the intersection of Southside Boulevard and Bradley Road, proceeded easterly along Bradley Road to Anniston Road, then southerly to pickup Bradley Road again, then easterly along Bradley to Cortez Road and 150 feet north and south along Cortez– the total length of the route for Segment 6 being approximately 9100 feet.  Degrove also completed the subsurface utility location and designation along Segment 6.

Degrove is proud to continue providing services for JEA projects.

Degrove Continues Providing Survey Support for Watershed Management Plans

Degrove Surveyors recently completed a project that will provide the survey data necessary for the Alligator Creek Watershed Management Plan.  Specifically, the data delivered will aid in the creation of a model of the Alligator Creek Watershed.  The model will support the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) and the City of Clearwater in their efforts with the Watershed Management Plan.  Degrove completed a Topographic and Hydraulic Structure Survey that included 104 hydraulic structures, 4 bridges, and 34 channel cross-sections.  Field crews used a combination of RTK-GPS and conventional trigonometric and differential leveling to achieve the data.  The project had a 60 day time-line and was completed early.

Degrove Under Contract with FIND

Degrove Surveyors is now under contract with the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) to provide surveying and mapping services for projects on an as-needed basis.  Projects will likely include boundary, topographic, hydrographic/bathymetric, and as-built surveys in the District’s northern region.  Degrove has contributed to FIND projects in past years through work for the Army Corps of Engineers and has completed projects in all 12 of the counties within the District.  We look forward to serving the District and developing a great working relationship.

Degrove Expands to Louisiana

Degrove President and owner, Ray Niles, has met all licensing requirements and is now a Professional Land Surveyor in the great state of Louisiana.  Degrove is excited for the opportunity to provide surveying and mapping services in Louisiana and is looking forward to building great working relationships with other firms and agencies in the state.

Degrove is also licensed to provide surveying and mapping services in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and South Carolina.

Degrove Helps Sponsor Bring the Noise Campaign to Support JAXPORT Enhancements

Members of the A/E/C and supporting industries will gather at the JAXPORT Cruise Terminal on June 9 at 5:30pm for a cocktail reception and “Bring the Noise” letter writing campaign.  Degrove is a pledged “Anchor Sponsor” of the event, which will show widespread support for enhancements to the Jacksonville Port Authority—Northeast Florida’s primary economic engine.  Attendees are encouraged to write letters to a variety of elected officials expressing the need to fund JAXPORT enhancements, which will sustain/create jobs and generate revenue for Florida.

Among the issues that the “Bring the Noise” campaign will address are Mile Point (a navigational restriction in the St. John’s River that prevents large ships from entering the harbor with fully loaded cargo) and the need for a deeper harbor.  Fixing these issues will bring more cargo to JAXPORT, and thus create thousands of jobs throughout our region.  These, among other enhancements, will allow JAXPORT to reach its full potential and make Florida the shipping capital of the U.S. East Coast.

For more information on the “Bring the Noise” event, visit: www.bringthenoisecampaign.com

Degrove Attends UF Geomatics Weekend

Degrove Surveyors was well represented at the University of Florida’s 2011 Geomatics Weekend on April 1 – 2, 2011.  The weekend serves as an annual fundraiser for the Geomatics program at UF—a program completed by four current Degrove employees.  Activities began with a Trap Shoot on Friday afternoon at Gator Skeet and Trap in Gainesville, followed by a social at Beef-O-Brady’s, which Degrove helped sponsor.  Saturday included a golf tournament and barbeque banquet at Ironwood Golf Course in Gainesville.  Degrove employees Will Pyle and Tyler Tracz received “Plumb Bob Awards” for being recent graduates of the program.  The weekend was very enjoyable for all who attended and a fun way to support the education of our future surveyors.

Pictured above (L to R): Degrove employees Will Pyle, Russell Smith, and Tyler Tracz; Degrove President, Ray Niles, and son, Matt Niles.

Pictured below: Degrove VP, Tom Tracz and Degrove Party Chief, Will Pyle.

Degrove Provides Survey Support for Myakka River Watershed Initiave

Degrove is near completion of a large project that provides survey support for the multi-faceted Myakka River Watershed Initiative—a project funded and administered by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD).  The Initiative includes a comprehensive study of the Myakka River Watershed, as well as the development of a watershed model and a Watershed Management Plan.  The Initiative is designed to “develop strategies to protect, enhance, and restore natural systems and water quality, while addressing issues of water supply and flood protection.”

The project has included surveying cross sections, bridges, and water control structures throughout the 600 square mile watershed, including areas of Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Desoto, and Hardee counties.  In addition to surveying, field crews have been responsible for taking pictures and video at each cross section/structure and recording relevant information on each of these areas, which will aid in constructing the watershed model.  All survey data and other recorded information (photos, videos, scans of field notes, relevant geographic information, etc.) have been organized in a GIS geodatabase feature data table for delivery to the client.

The project is being completed through combined efforts of the Gainesville and Jacksonville offices, and is being managed by Degrove VP, Tom Tracz.