I have complained on here before about my club but this one takes a new low. Just trying to get ideas on how to possibly fix this. I have spoke to quite a few guys and everyone is either afraid to speak up or doesnt think it will work but they all have similar concerns and gripes. I have been a member for awhile and enjoy most of the people and the convienience of being 5 miles away when I want to shoot. Over the years we have had a lot of changes with some being for the good and some for the bad, but lately its bad. Next closeset club is 1.5hrs away and always busy so I'd like some tips on how to possibly work on some issues.
150-175 members. Yearly dues and work hours payment comes to $305 plus your NRA card-year plus now your forced to pay $25 2x year for club dinner tickets even if you dont want to come. Pre Covid and a previous club president it was $245-year. They recently upped the work hours because "no one was doing them and this was an attempt to get people to perform work hours". If you complete 12 work hours a year it brings your dues down to $65-yr. Does not matter if you complete 20hrs the first half your still required to do 6hr each half of the year. IMO $305 is pricey for a club with a 100yard range that pistol, 25, 50 and 75yard all must use together.
Work hours: We have a mowing crew once a week with mornings and evenings alternating to mow and weed eat about 12 acres. They have 2 mowers and if you dont get there an hour before mowing starts your given a hand me down push mower and told push mow 10 acres. Sometimes you have 6-7 guys show up and end up getting sent home with 30min of work hours given because there is nothing for them to do or because someone on a commitee mowed the morning before.
One year myself and a few current and former members made a large list or things that needed completed and brought it up at a meeting to try and get people work hours because at that time $245 was pricey for some. We shared it at the monthly meeting that only 40-50 members show up to and was told they would look into it. Most of these commitee members have been on the committee for 20-30yrs. Next thing we know is all the work was done without being anounced and the work was completed by commitee members or retirees at 10am on a Tuesday. Commitee members arent required to do work hours and some have in excess of 40-100 work hours a year. But yet they upped work hour dues with a vote from 40-50 people of the clubs 150-175 members. We suggested bringing up work that needed done at the monthly meeting and they did at this last meeting and decided that 2 days later, on a Tuesday at 10am they were going to do a ton of work. One member brought up not being notified when a work party was scheduled and was told come to the monthly meetings to find out. Due to 3 small kids and working full time he could not attend the meetings and ended up losing his membership because he could not afford dues + work hours but was fully willing to complete work on weekends. They said no weekend work because thats when the range is most active and no commitee members want to work on weekends.
Membership say so: It is in my opinion and the opinion of guys I spoke with that voting should be approved by the majority and not allowing 2 members who dont approve to axe the entire thing. If we have 175 members than each member should have a say so and not just the 40-50 who show to the meetings to decide for the entire membership. Should members who show to the meeting have the only say so or should they send a letter, email, etc to everyone asking their opinion?
Range availability: They are now allowing the public to pay to use the range on specific days and while those days were say once a month its now turned into 2-3 days a week. Should members be allowed to rent the range and club multiple times a year for their own personal parties, gain, etc and shut other members out from using the range?
So far I have spoke to about 10-15 guys who i have known for awhile through the club and they all have similar concerns but not sure how to voice them. Personally, I am on the verge of just telling them to stick the membership and just find another hobby. A good friend of mine who's also a member said maybe we should write a letter to the club and post a petition asking that all members have a say so via email if you cannot attend a meeting and remove the rule where one person can deny a vote for the majority. We have tried approaching the president and other board members and everyone says thats the way this club has been in my 30yrs of being here. Well its time for some change. Are we being unreasonable about these issues? Just hang a petition up at the range sign in and hope for the best? Tell everyone how it is at a meeting? How would you guys improve on this?
Now? How'bout now? Seems to me that now would be a good time.
