Each year during National Surveyors Week, we recognize the professionals who define the land beneath our feet and provide the critical data that shapes every successful project. Surveying is one of the oldest professions, yet it remains one of the most essential, supporting land ownership, infrastructure development, and community growth.
Surveyors Week is a reflection of the work we are proud to deliver every day, helping clients move forward with clarity, confidence, and precision.
Defining the Foundation of Every Project
Before design begins, before construction starts, and before decisions are finalized, surveying lays the groundwork. From boundary surveys that establish property lines to topographic surveys that reveal the character of the land, our team provides the accurate, reliable data that projects depend on.
Every survey represents more than measurements. It provides:
Confidence in property ownership and boundaries
Critical insight for planning and design
Reduced risk during development and construction
A clear path forward for projects of every scale
Whether confirming where a property begins and ends or mapping elevation, drainage, and existing features, our surveyors ensure that every project starts with the right information.
Turning Data Into Direction
Surveying is both a science and a skill. Our team combines advanced technology, such as GPS-enabled instruments, 3D laser scanning, and drone mapping, with deep expertise and local knowledge.
This allows us to deliver:
Precise boundary surveys that stand up to legal and regulatory standards
Detailed topographic surveys that guide smart, efficient design
Data-driven insights that help uncover opportunities and avoid costly surprises
We don’t just collect data, we interpret it, providing context that helps clients, engineers, and designers make informed decisions.
The People Behind the Precision
Behind every accurate map and reliable dataset is a team committed to excellence.
Our surveyors bring together technical expertise, field experience, and problem-solving to support increasingly complex projects. As communities grow and infrastructure evolves, the need for precise, dependable surveying continues to expand.
We are proud to play a role in that process, supporting development, protecting property rights, and helping bring projects to life from the ground up.
This Surveyors Week, we celebrate the professionals who define the starting point of every project and the lasting impact their work has on the communities we serve.
Boundary Surveys: Drawing the Line with Confidence
We know that buying, building, or developing land comes with big decisions and sometimes even bigger questions. One of the most common is: “Where does my property actually begin and end?” That’s where a boundary survey comes in.
What Is a Boundary Survey?
Think of a boundary survey as drawing the “frame” around your property. Our licensed surveyors dig into historical records, study plats and deeds, and combine that research with precise fieldwork using advanced GPS and mapping tools. The result is a clear, legally recognized map of your property lines.
Why Boundary Surveys Matter
A boundary survey might feel like just another box to check, but it’s often the step that prevents headaches down the road. Here’s why:
Peace of Mind for Property Owners Nobody wants to find out that a fence, driveway, or even a building sits on the wrong side of the line. A survey gives you certainty and can resolve disputes before they even start.
Smart Development Starts Here Whether you’re planning a new home, a commercial development, or a community space, you need to know exactly what land you’re working with. Surveys give designers and engineers the confidence to plan without costly surprises later.
Smooth Real Estate Transactions Lenders, buyers, and title companies often require boundary surveys. They help confirm that the land being sold matches the description in the deed, avoiding confusion (and extra costs) at closing.
Protecting Long-Term Value When your boundaries are clear, so is your investment. You can make improvements with confidence, knowing your property is protected.
More Than Just Measurements
Technology has changed the way we survey. At Abonmarche, we use tools like GPS-enabled instruments and drone mapping to deliver highly accurate results faster than ever before. But while technology is powerful, our team’s experience and judgment make the difference. We combine precision, local knowledge, and decades of expertise to ensure every survey stands up to scrutiny.
Why Work with Abonmarche
For us, a boundary survey isn’t just about drawing lines on a map; it’s about helping people move forward with clarity and confidence. Whether you’re a homeowner, developer, or municipality, surveys are the first step in building something great.
We don’t just define boundaries; we provide peace of mind.
On The Boards | Site Engineering & Surveying at the New Valpo Skate Park – Valparaiso, Indiana
Rendering of the upcoming Flounder & Friends Skatepark in Valparaiso, Indiana. Site engineering and surveying provided by Abonmarche.
What does a community skatepark look like today?
Valparaiso, Indiana is reimagining what’s possible as it brings a modern skatepark experience to a new generation of skate enthusiasts — and a new community gathering place for residents and visitors to enjoy as the city of Valparaiso continues to thrive and expand.
Our team in Valparaiso has served as the engineering force supporting the project, and we’re excited to share that the site’s stormwater improvements kicked off earlier this spring.
This new skate park is such a fantastic development project to be a part of,” notes Matt Keiser, engineering project manager at Abonmarche. “The experience of moving through the process of designing the necessary stormwater improvements and site surveying – it’s extremely rewarding to know that our engineering work beneath this new park is what supports all of the action going on above ground.”
A formal groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday, April 18, kicked off new phases of the project and unveiled the new skatepark’s name – Flounder & Friends Skatepark.
“With purpose, this park will welcome people with adaptive needs, with purpose this park will welcome people of all ages and skill levels, and with purpose this park will welcome residents and friends of Valparaiso,” said Kevin Nuppnau, assistant director of Valpo Parks, during the ceremony. “We’re not just saying it, we are building it, and it starts today.”
Members of the community of Valparaiso and project team members broke ground at the site of the upcoming state-of-the-art Flounder & Friends Skatepark in Valparaiso, Indiana. Abonmarche project team members Lara Brown, Matt Keiser, and Tara Boyanski helped kick off new phases of the skatepark.
Flounder Skatepark — A New Community Experience
As in every community redevelopment project, the City of Valparaiso hosted an in-depth community engagement effort to understand what people wanted from a new skatepark experience, what was important to them in the park’s features and location, and how the park might bring residents and visitors together in a way that most skateparks fail to do. To maintain the project’s vision and ensure the skatepark becomes a reality, a task force was established among the design and engineering teams, Valpo Parks, and local skate enthusiasts.
In contracting a designer for the new skatepark, the City of Valparaiso reached out to Valparaiso native and X Games Course Design Dug Ketterman, of DugOut Design Studio. Ketterman, a venerated skate park and course designer who has designed some of the world’s most beloved skate experiences, has a special connection to his hometown’s original skatepark.
As a 16-year-old in the mid-1990s, Dug and his friends came to the city of Valparaiso to find a way to design a place to skate. They helped the city design and construct the skatepark, piece by piece. The finished design was named Flounder Skatepark in honor of Dug’s friend Ray “Flounder” Wampler, who was killed in a car accident on his way to school one morning. The first Flounder Skatepark stood from 1998 until 2020, when it closed due to its level of disrepair and unsafe conditions.
Valparaiso reconnected with Ketterman after 20 years to lead the design of a new park in a better location. Once built, the new skatepark will again carry the Flounder name — and will inject the same passion that Valparaiso area skaters bring to their art.
Nestled in the Heart of Valparaiso
To host the site of its new skatepark experience, Valparaiso and its design partners conducted a thorough site review and analysis—eventually selecting a section of its existing Fairgrounds Park. This was a significant departure from the old skatepark location, which was nestled deep into a 122-acre hiking park on the city’s north side; in contrast, the new location, in the center of town and along one of the city’s main thorough-fares, was chosen for its visibility and walkability within the community.
As part of Fairgrounds Park, the new skatepark will be enveloped by a 3/4 mile walking track and situated adjacent to 4 softball fields, a playground, a community pavilion, and a Life Trails System, designed to help adults ages 50+ with functional fitness.
Valparaiso’s park and recreation options are ideal; with more than 700 acres of parkland spread across 17 parks, 27 athletic fields, 14 children’s playgrounds, and two golf courses, people in every corner of the city have a unique park experience to call their own.
With the old skatepark in disrepair, the decision to design a new one came with new opportunities: to create an accessible state-of-the-art skatepark and to shape a citywide gathering place for people from all walks of life.
Abonmarche’s Lara Brown, Tara Boyanski, and Matt Keiser attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Flounder & Friends Skatepark in Valparaiso, Indiana. The project is engineered by Abonmarche.
A Modern Skate Experience for All
During an extensive community engagement effort, the design team identified the community’s top desires, then created a design that could be implemented in phases as funding becomes available.
The new skatepark will feature spaces for skateboards, bikes, scooters, and skates — with an emphasis on user-friendliness for many ages and abilities, including beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Future phases of the skatepark design will feature a dedicated beginners area along with adaptive features for athletes in wheelchairs.
Ketterman’s design inspiration is “centered around the Golden Spiral, providing a harmonious aesthetic while encouraging growth and inclusivity around the world. We have designed a park that not only meets the needs of the community, but also redefines what is possible…”.
Space to Gather
Flounder Skatepark’s holistic design will reach beyond the city of Valparaiso to become a regional hub for the skating community — creating space for people of many interests, ages, abilities and locations to gather — to have fun, to be active, to learn, and to share in both failure and success. Building a skatepark as a space that will nurture the community of Valparaiso will spread benefits to many other communities across northern Indiana and beyond.
Design: DugOut Design Studios
Site Engineering & Surveying: Abonmarche
Advocacy: Driftwood Collaborative
The groundbreaking ceremony saw an excellent turnout by Valparaiso community members, sponsors, and other project partners.
Contact Us today to learn more about our practice.
Abonmarche Honored with ACEC/Michigan Surveying Merit Award for Innovative Work in Portage
Abonmarche is honored to receive the Surveying Merit Award at the 2025 ACEC/Michigan Engineering and Surveying Excellence Awards for our work on the City of Portage’s “Natural Place to Move” initiative. This award recognizes outstanding surveying and engineering projects that demonstrate innovation, efficiency, and a commitment to excellence.
Leveraging Drone Technology for Efficient Surveying
As part of the Portage infrastructure improvement project, Abonmarche provided surveying and engineering services to support roadway enhancements across 6.34 miles of neighborhood streets. Given the project’s tight timeline, our team leveraged drone (UAV) surveying technology to capture high-resolution aerial imagery of pre-construction conditions.
By using advanced drone surveying, we were able to: > Collect precise data faster than traditional methods > Enhance project planning with detailed aerial images > Reduce costs while improving efficiency
This cutting-edge approach to land surveying allowed for a streamlined design and construction process, ensuring the City of Portage’s infrastructure upgrades were executed smoothly and on schedule.
Commitment to Innovation in Surveying & Engineering
At Abonmarche, we continually adopt state-of-the-art surveying technology to deliver cost-effective, high-quality solutions for municipalities and communities. We are proud to be recognized for our contributions and look forward to future engineering and surveying projects that make a lasting impact.
