Grant surveyor seeks 2nd term

Published 5:00 pm Monday, May 7, 2012

CANYON CITY Mike Springer likes being part of the lineage of what he calls exceptional Grant County surveyors over the past 100-plus years.

Continuing that tradition of excellence, as Springer calls it, is why hes running for a second term as county surveyor.

Springer is unopposed on the May 15 primary ballot.

One of Springers main goals when he ran for the post four years ago, was to launch a county surveyor website, in which all the maps and survey documents would be posted online.

That website is now up and running smoothly, Springer said.

To date, we have all of the maps, land partitions and corner restoration records online, and links to other useful sites.

He said hes received a lot of positive feedback from surveyors, land developers, realtors, other county surveyors and the general public. Future plans for the site include adding all subdivision plats, and adding a tab for county surveyor policies, fees and other information.

Springer would also like to introduce land surveying and engineering programs in local high schools. He said the Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon has a program called TrigStar, in which students compete in a math skills contest.

The idea is to encourage students to consider a career in surveying or engineering, Springer said. I think it would be great for Grant County high school students.

Springer has more than 15 years of experience in land surveying in Eastern Oregon. He and Jason Hatfield, also a professional land surveyor, have co-owned Benchmark Land Surveying in John Day since 2009. A recent project they undertook was making sure all the section corners and quarter-section corners in the county are up to date.

Springer said during his first term as county surveyor, he worked closely with most of the county departments, and has developed good relations with them.

I learned that we are very fortunate to have county employees willing to work together for the publics best interest.

The best part of his position as county surveyor, Springer said, has been working with the public.

Many landowners may only have to deal with land surveying issues once during their entire life, so the process can be confusing, Springer said.

My interaction with most people is limited, but I enjoy helping them understand how the whole surveying thing works.

Springer has a bachelors degree in land surveying from Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls.

He and his wife Sha  nnon live in Prairie City and are the parents of two children, Nick, 13, and Emily, 11. The couple stay busy with their childrens school sports and 4-H activities. Springer is a 4-H archery leader in Prairie City.