By Shepard Humphries, JHSSF Secretary
The shotgun facility at the JHGC as of summer 2014 was a 5 Stand. It was in a beautiful setting with a slight downward slope. Aspects needing improvement were the clay throwing machines, a need for additional parking, and a need for an improved barrier between the rifle bay and the shotgun bay. In the fall of 2013 the JHGC board hired a consultant to write an NRA Grant, which was approved for $27,500. Also in the fall of 2013, a group of volunteers that were responsible for the majority of the 2013 shotgun bay use provided a letter to the JHGC board with recommendations regarding the shotgun program. Their primary recommendation was to have a separate RSO for the shotgun program.
An uncompleted 35-yard East-facing archery bay also needed an additional berm to make it safe for archers to shoot while the shotgun bay was occupied, and the archery targets purchased in 2012 needed framework built prior to placement. There were not any drainage issues for the shotgun bay, however the archery bay was poorly built regarding slope and collected water in the spring.
In the spring of 2014 the upper pistol bay collected much snow and remained muddy during spring runoff. For the long term, a solution was prudent to make the JHGC a truly world class shooting club.
The lower pistol bay also was muddy in the spring, and users were well-advised to wear boots! The safety issue on the pistol bays was the berm dividing the two pistol bays, and the berm on the West side of the lower pistol bay, which did not properly stop fragments headed West Bound. Grading and crush were suggested to prevent the ice rink which accumulates on the cement pad.
On July 22, 2014, the JHSSF received a grant request from the JHGC for $70,000 over upcoming months, with $35,000 payable in July & August.
“As I believe you all know the JHGC is embarking on the construction of a new shotgun facility and will be asking the Foundation for approx. $70,000 over the next few months. The overall project will cost approx. $85,000 and the JHGC has already invested $15,000 in the equipment. The first $35,000 from the Foundation would be paid in the next 3-4 weeks and the balance after the Old Bills funds are disbursed in October. A generous supporter with generous friends has guaranteed the Foundation $35,000 for 2014 and hopes to generate more. He is doing this under the premise that those funds will be going directly to the Shotgun Bay project. We will keep and use the match funds for programs, education and the like…Some details of the project include, a new five stand and trap range with all new machines and houses, swipe card access to both 5 stand and trap, the trap field will be dirt and gravel for the time being but another NRA Foundation grant will be submitted this year for the concrete work. It also appears that the existing 5 stand will not be disturbed for the time being.”
The JHSSF board approved this grant request on July 25, 2014 and looks forward to a more usable and safer range!
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