Blog
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Holiday Help from one of Hodge’s long standing employees…
…On Christmas Eve, Steve Strinie, a 30 year Hodge employee lent a hand at the WTIC/Salvation Army Holiday Store in Avon Ct. collecting packages and sorting items for the annual donation drive. This is Steve’s second year at the event. Ray Dunaway from WTIC being familiar with Hodge Surveying, talked about the old days when his former next door neighbor and Hodge owner Weston Barnes (circa 1937-1980) would go over to Ray’s house on Christmas morning and broadcast his morning show live from there! Hodge LLC is pleased to be a contributor to this worthy cause and carry on a great tradition. Thanks Steve.
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Made in America
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BOOM !!!
Surveyors are frequently called upon to locate existing pins with the use of specialized metal detectors. Our seasoned surveyors at Hodge LLC can usually identify what is under the surface of the ground by the tone that the metal detector will sound off. But not this time!!! On this particular day, our surveyors found themselves uncovering a hand grenade while digging for a property corner in Burlington Ct! The state police and bomb squad with canine unit were called in. They determined that we had found a practice grenade and it was harmless. So thankfully, this day did not end with a bang!!!
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MARIC BUILDERS OF FARMINGTON CT
Hodge LLC. was hired by Maric Builders in 2008 to complete a boundary survey and map all existing features of the property. We located the house, driveway and patio’s etc. The house was a beautiful old 1920’s or 1930’s English Tudor with a lot of character, but quite rundown. The project began with designs, town approvals and the teardown of the original house. Hodge LLC. provided the layout to the foundation crew as well as information to the crews building the driveway, walls, patios and the pool. The homeowners, architects and Meric Builders had the vision to turn it into what we see here today. This project is currently nearing completion after several years but with many details to be tied up. Meric Builders has u
sed Hodge LLC. for many of their projects and we look forward to many more in the future. -
PHASE FOUR “KINGS WOOD” IN AVON
Village Developers is currently continuing phase four of Kings Wood on Lofgren road in Avon with two houses. Windsor court is also part of phase four which will connect to Scarborough Road. Hodge LLC. is providing the surveying and engineering services for this project. We have been working with Village Developers for many years and now that it seems the economy might be turning more new homes should be going up. This phase was started a couple of years ago with surveying for the road which was roughed in. Catch basins were laid out and installed then the job was put on the back burner waiting for a better housing market. With these first few houses it’s a positive sign, we will add more as we go.
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Flood Zones Becoming a Bigger Issue
This winter was one of the worst many parts of the United States have ever seen. During one of the blizzards, snow was actually falling in 49 out of the 50 states, excluding only Florida. Slowly, as it came closer to warm temperatures and the spring season, many town officials, insurance representatives, land surveyors and civil engineers had to assess how much flooding may occur from the meltdown of the many feet of snow in so many places. One issue being looked at by government officials were the rules about flood insurance boundaries – when homeowners needed flood insurance and how the new flood zones would be drawn.
Thankfully, a congressman from Michigan was looking out for citizens located in precarious areas, according to a report from WILX:
“In a town hall meeting, Congressman Tim Walberg told Michiganders he introduced a new bill, the Floodplain Maps Moratorium Act. The bill would delay homeowners in newly drawn flood zones from having to purchase flood insurance for five years. “It appears they are in great error and people that never had to purchase flood insurance now have to do that at a great cost,” said Rep. Tim Walberg, (R) Michigan.”
Even though the new law and flood zones drawn by surveyors have made the matter of getting flood insurance easier for citizens, some still aren’t happy with what seems like forced insurance:
“One commissioner [sic] of Eaton County now finds his home to be in a new flood zone, meaning it has a 26 percent chance of flooding during a 30-year mortgage. The commissioner says all but one of the 22 municipalities in Eaton County are negatively affected by the new maps.
FEMA declined to comment on the propsed [sic] legislation. But a state engineer that works with FEMA says the new maps are more accurate. But in some areas, such as Eaton County, the elevation on the topographic map were drawn to 10 foot contour intervals and could be more precise.”
It still stands to be seen whether or not this law will go into effect, but this story shows how important the zoning plans that land surveyors make can be.
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TUNXIS PLANTATION GOLF COURSE
Hodge LLC, has worked on the Tunxis golf course over the years and we are continuing to work with the owners to solve the latest issue. Tropical storm Irene caused the Farmington River to overflow its banks and flow into the Tunxis golf course flooding it. Parts of the course were under 3 to 5 feet of water. The water even made its way to the starters stand and the restaurant. Some flooding in this area is normal but Irene brought water levels higher than the flood in 1955. The waters receded after a few days leaving a soggy course and a lot of clean-up. Hodge was called upon to take topography near the restaurant so an engineer can come up with a remedy. The idea is to build a berm to keep the water away from the buildings. Check out the picture of the silo and weathervane. Ironic that the silo has a canoe on it. It may have come in handy.
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THE CHURCH OF ST. PATRICK – MAIN ST. FARMINGTON
Hodge LLC. has been working at St. Patrick’s over the last few years completing boundary, topographic surveys as well as locating the buildings, parking lot, trees and all physical features on the site. The main building was built in 1921 with several newer additions. The information gathered by us will be used by the engineers to design much needed parking. Also on the property is an old house that is to be rehabbed along with a new driveway which will serve as the new rectory. -
GHA and Hodge, LLC. Merger!
The merger between two of the top land surveying and civil engineer companies in Connecticut is a great thing. But what does that mean for you, the client? Well, simply put, it means winning project approvals quickly and accurately offering customers cost effective ways to move projects forward without headaches or hassle.
Combining GHA and Hodge also grants customers expanded capabilities, statewide coverage, increased responsiveness, greater depth of knowledge and experience to win approvals and also meet land project objectives. The main reason for the merger is growth that will benefit our clients directly, not about a bigger company that will cost you more. We, as a combined company, are better prepared to be a one stop shop for your civil engineering and land surveying needs, and that’s what counts.
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Avon Old Farms School
Avon Old Farms School located in Avon, Ct. is one of Hodge Surveying’s ongoing projects. The school was founded in 1927 by Theodate Pope Riddle Connecticut’s first female architect as a school for boys.The buildings were constructed with stone and oak from the property using English Cotswold and Tudor styles and old English engineering and construction techniques. The school received recognition as an architectural masterpiece. Later during WWII the school was closed and used as a hospital for blinded Army veterans. The latest project is staking of drainage structures in the Pope quad where new grading and new bluestone walks will be installed. In years past we also have laid out the foundation for the new science center, student union building, wood shop and resurfacing of the running track
