This year’s annual UCLS Conference, was held February 17-19, 2021 at the Dixie Convention Center in St. George, Utah with over 270 attendees, including several employees from Meridian Engineering. The conference is organized for Utah based professionals to stay current with best practices, latest laws and review the newest technology for the industry. Meridian’s ROW and survey team were happy to be involved throughout the conference, comprising of break-out sessions of key industry topics like State and Territorial Road Laws, GIS for Surveyors, and panel discussions on Ethics, Professional Consequences of Poor Decisions, and even a mock arbitration panel.
Our lead surveyor, Michael Nadeau, was a panelist for the Mock Arbitration session based on an arbitration that transpired in early 2020 where Michael was a panel member in the real arbitration proceedings authorized by the Property Rights Ombudsman’s Office. The arbitration involved a roadway in Weber County. The question posed to the arbitration panelists was, “Where is the location of the County Road” and involved land granted to the State of Utah in 1896 as a school section with settlers settling the area in 1859. The discussion and final arbitration award evolved into protecting the landowner’s bona fide property rights that had transpired prior to statehood. This knowledge is powerful when solving property boundary issues during the analysis stage of any given project related to 150 year old boundaries. As a Past Chairman of the Council, Michael also assisted with the Oath of Office for the new Executive Committee for 2021.
The conference can be a fun getaway as it is usually held in warmer climates, like the joint conference planned in Las Vegas next year. Two members of our team, Rob Hickman and Tyler Baron were able to participate in the skeet shoot competition with long-time Meridian colleague, Bryan Westover of HDR. It’s always a good time when Meridian employees can network with fellow associates and peers on this level.
At the end of the day, our team looks forward to the annual event for receiving professional development credits, networking with like-minded surveyors and just to recharge.