Let me know what you guys think? Sending to the president and VP tomorrow.
To whom this may concern,
I am an active club member and have been for about 10yrs. Over these years I have seen some changes come to the club that myself and other members I have spoken to feel are a concern. Such a concern that it has caused some to leave the club, some searching for another club and some who feel the financial burden of the club’s excessive costs to be a member. Each year I notice more and more members leave the club due to work hours. People simply cannot afford it nor is there enough hours to go around. Are you aware that other clubs in the area that range between $120-yr with no work hours to $180yr with no work hours? Both clubs offer way more shooting amenities than our club. I understand the need for work to be done at the club but IMO and my experience there is not much to be done except cutting the grass and replacing the target boards every half year. The reason I am writing today is to hopefully address some concerns myself and other members I have talked to have and find some common ground for everyone.
1) Work hours: A lot of us feel there is not enough work to go around for the entire membership and feel the cost of work hours is used to increase the cost of the yearly dues. $65yr is dirt cheap and such a club would warrant $120-yr or $150-yr. The cost of $65-yr dues plus $20-hr work hours comes to $305 plus $50 to be an NRA member. Now we are up to $350-yr. This is a lot of money for most people’s budget. When I joined and dues were $65 and work hours $15-hr and we had guys such as Tony Z and Tony G running building and lands there were multiple work parties a year. The range was shut down on a Saturday or Sunday morning and everyone came out and cleaned the entire grounds, replaced railroad ties, target hangers, repaired benches, etc. Now it seems like unless you’re a committee member or retired there are no hours to be had or its very, very hard to get them. Yes, we have grass cutting but after speaking with some members who have tried to mow in the mornings, they say it’s very hard because minimal equipment or the same crew, who get 40-50 work hours a year hog it all up. I have literally been sent home when I came to cut the grass because there were “too many people”. I have brought up in meetings about fixing benches, staining them, fixing gutters, etc. to gain work hours. and on several occasions, I have been told it would be brought up the next meeting or someone would contact me. A few days later I find the stuff repaired by someone on a committee or no one contacted anyone. I am not the only member this has happened to. It seems to be the norm for quite a few people. Quite simply, your work hours dues are too high and while 12hrs is not a lot of hours to contribute a year the cost is a lot to contribute when hours are taken by committee members or members who do the work during the week while everyone else is at work. If you want to make the club money than raise the dues instead of forced labor.
2) Range: Our range is pitiful. The pistol area is always a muddy mess, the benches are all wobbly and need stained, the horse mats need replaced on some of the bench tops. I have noticed on multiple occasions members bringing more than 2 guests and then you must sit and wait to shoot rifle while 4-5 guys shoot pistol and stand around BS. Last year we asked for a separate pistol range to be put in where the empty field is, and it was denied. Issues such as this should be approved by the board not 1/3 of the membership. Having a separate pistol range would be safer than shooting pistol and having people behind you messing with rifles while your “down range”. It would also be effective in time saving for members who say just want to shoot 50rds of pistol or sight in/check a rifle and not have to wait an hour for the next shooter to finish. It would also help pistol shoots to not have a mud pit to shoot in and the club could run pistol matches without interfering with the rest of the membership wanting to shoot rifle or pistol when a club match is going on.
3) Membership voting: We have 100-150 members, and it appears that the same 40 guys show to every meeting and either vote in what they want or vote out what they don’t want and the heck with the rest of the membership. It appears ½ if not more of the club is retired and can make every meeting to have their voice heard but a lot of us work, have kids, etc. and cannot make it to meetings. Letting the same 20-30 guys vote on issues without getting input from all 100-150 members is not how a club should be run. It appears to me and a few others that unless you’re a 20-30yr member your vote, opinion and ideas do not count for anything. Its time we get some fresh blood on these committees, board, etc. and stop letting the same groups decide what happens for everyone who is a paying member. I suggest that letters and emails are sent to all members and votes are created by all members and not the ones who show to the meetings. Last year our work hour dues were
4) Work Parties: As I stated above, the work parties seem to be far and few between. For those of us that can’t cut the grass during the morning there is grass cutting in the evening. Some of us work until 430-530pm and they start cutting grass at 3pm-330pm so what’s the point of showing up to get sent home. It also appears that unless you show up to a meeting you won’t know when work parties are done. This past meeting, I showed up and heard about the backstop being worked on. Well once again the work was done on a Tuesday, not enough notice for anyone and done early in the morning. I bet that took a lot of work hours away from guys willing to do it on a weekend or the evening. Same as with the concrete for the turkey shoots. We need help with the concrete and doing other work, but we are going to do it on a Wednesday at 10am while most the membership is at work. Get everyone together every 2-3 months on a weekend and fix stuff, paint stuff, clean stuff.
5) Meetings: We have a pandemic going on here and everyone is encouraged to attend the meetings that everyone is crammed in like sardines and not a single person is wearing a face covering. I have my health and the health of my family to be concerned about and do not feel comfortable attending the meetings with everyone crammed together. Since every monthly meeting is the equivalent of 6 work hours some work hours should be removed for those of us not willing to chance our health if you’re not willing to fix the issue of select members taking all the work hours.
6) Equipment: There appears to be a serious issue with select members shooting down new equipment for the club. Our mowers are 10+ years old. We have push mowers that the morning guys stick you with that look and perform like something out of Sanford and son junk yard. Any time a member suggests getting new equipment its always shot down by a select few. Majority of the membership should rule, not just a select few. Once again, things such as this should be left up to the board or the entire membership.
It just appears to me after Tony Z passed away the club is more concerned with money than ever before. No one can get hours in due a small group of committee members, and retirees taking up all the work hours. Once you hit 12hrs you should be done and work parties should be held once a month to get members involved, get work done instead of it being hogged by a select few. We went from having club shoots on Wednesday and Sunday at noon to 3 days a week now and on peek days like the weekends. All to raise money for the club that should be spent on stuff like mowers, archery targets, new benches and not passed out to committee members each year, and other nonsense. Use the 3-acre field in the back for a pistol range or skeet. This way it doesn’t need mowed, and we don’t have to wait for the Wednesday shoots to be over or have the range hogged up. Buy some new archery targets for us hunters. All the 3d targets are ruined because they are let sit outside and be rained on. Put gravel or concrete or even blacktop at the pistol range area so we don’t have to wade through mud and water to change targets or shoot. I’ve been a member for a long time and there are good people in the club but also some who are just out to hoard the club money and shoot everything down they don’t like. What’s a club or a membership if you allow the same 20 guys to have a say so. Seems like unless you’ve been a member for 20+ years your opinion doesn’t mean squat.
Sincerely,
Concerned Member.
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