March Newsletter
Miramichi Sportsmens Club
This year will be a very busy year at all our range factions. Last fall the Pistol Range was recertified for a 5 Year period by the Provincial Government. The backstop mound had to be topped off and we had to bring in an excavator and a fair amount of fill to accomplish this. The bill for this job alone was around $3700.
The recertification for the Shotgun Range also came due in November 2007 and we found we had to approach the government to see if they would give us documentation to allow us permission to increase our shot drop zone outside our land lease. On March 12 we were granted permission for this to happen so we should get our range certification within a couple of weeks which will also be good for 5 years. As soon as the snow is gone Paul plans to put on a Sporting Clays Shoot. Skeet/ Trap shooting will then start on Sundays and Wednesday evenings for the shooting season.
The Rifle Range is the next range which needs to be recertified and that has to be done by late summer. Alexis says they need an excavator for 2 or 3 days to top the mound off so we can meet government standards. This will likely cost our club a fair sum of money to complete. Contractors will be approached this summer so we can get a firm price to complete this project.
As you can see it takes a fair some of money just to get the ranges to meet and maintain government standards. Because of the money we spent on the pistol range some yearly maintenance had to be postponed until this year. We usually spend approx. $1000 to keep our road in good condition which we did not do last year but will have to do this spring. It is getting harder and harder each year to meet our obligations on membership dues alone. If anyone has any good ideas on how to raise money for our club please come forward.
Now you can see why it is so important to pay your membership early as a lot of bills come due early in the year.