Forum rules
The National Body General Discussion section is exactly that, a section for all of us to discuss the National Bodies and what they are up to.
Please bear in mind that this is an open forum and your posts can be read by all members. If you are in a position that can be compromised by what you are saying on here because someone takes offense and tells your colleagues or your sponsor and that in turn means you are being punished for your posts on here, think before you post!
From the Email reply, it is clear they are not selling nor giving away the range - CNC are simply hiring it on a more frequent basis - surely this has to be seen as a good thing, as it is a source of income.
It is also a totally different "Story" to the one you initially posted.
Mike
Mike,
We should consider ourselves lucky that the power station security guards did not want Short Siberia at weekends too! The construction work was going on for months and no one thought it approriate to inform the membership. If my story (I would describe it as informed speculation) is not accurate, blame the Council for that. I think it is pretty close, because they have given away shooting facility and the fact that money changed hands is not the point. Suppose another government organisation shows interest in the whole of Century!? Give it away for a large sum of money?
From the Email reply, it is clear they are not selling nor giving away the range - CNC are simply hiring it on a more frequent basis - surely this has to be seen as a good thing, as it is a source of income.
It is also a totally different "Story" to the one you initially posted.
Mike
Mike,
We should consider ourselves lucky that the power station security guards did not want Short Siberia at weekends too! The construction work was going on for months and no one thought it approriate to inform the membership. If my story (I would describe it as informed speculation) is not accurate, blame the Council for that. I think it is pretty close, because they have given away shooting facility and the fact that money changed hands is not the point. Suppose another government organisation shows interest in the whole of Century!? Give it away for a large sum of money?
Alex
Alex,
Great idea, I love it.
Let's sell it off for Squillions as prime building land (NRA owns freehold on huge chunks) and move the home of shooting to a more central location.
My final word?
Sadly for some of the reaons posted here, I vote for the money.
:cheers:
Gun rhymes with fun.
We are constrained only by the rules of safety and our own imagination.
From the Email reply, it is clear they are not selling nor giving away the range - CNC are simply hiring it on a more frequent basis - surely this has to be seen as a good thing, as it is a source of income.
It is also a totally different "Story" to the one you initially posted.
Mike
Mike,
We should consider ourselves lucky that the power station security guards did not want Short Siberia at weekends too! The construction work was going on for months and no one thought it approriate to inform the membership. If my story (I would describe it as informed speculation) is not accurate, blame the Council for that. I think it is pretty close, because they have given away shooting facility and the fact that money changed hands is not the point. Suppose another government organisation shows interest in the whole of Century!? Give it away for a large sum of money?
Alex
strange? I knew months ago and I am so far out of most loops I'm on my own timezone ?
From the Email reply, it is clear they are not selling nor giving away the range - CNC are simply hiring it on a more frequent basis - surely this has to be seen as a good thing, as it is a source of income.
It is also a totally different "Story" to the one you initially posted.
Mike
Mike,
We should consider ourselves lucky that the power station security guards did not want Short Siberia at weekends too! The construction work was going on for months and no one thought it approriate to inform the membership. If my story (I would describe it as informed speculation) is not accurate, blame the Council for that. I think it is pretty close, because they have given away shooting facility and the fact that money changed hands is not the point. Suppose another government organisation shows interest in the whole of Century!? Give it away for a large sum of money?
Alex
Or just leave SB empty during 99% of the week "Just in case" a shooter wanted to use it? - but with the extra 100yd FPs being made available - hardly an issue is it?
Thank you for your email of the 28th and for the information. I know that the key decisions about this project were made before your time, so I sent you a courtesy copy of my letter to Robin Pizer. To ensure that I cover all the facts, I have consulted several people before writing, so expect more letters based on "creative version" even though it is close to the truth in principle.
It looks as if we should be thankful (not sure who to) that the CNC did not want to use Short Siberia at week-ends too! And we have good reason to fear what the Council would do if another government agency expresses interest in, say, Century for its exclusive use 24/7!!! The only difference between that scenario and what has just been done is in magnitude. The principle is absolutely the same!
I need to be convinced that the members' best interests played any part in the decision making and I have been struggling to find the appropriate description of what was done to us. Breach of Trust with Best Intentions is the best I could come up with. Breach of trust fits, but I am not sure about the intentions. This is the worst example of Council/members relations that I have ever experienced or heard of.
Had the trouble been taken to consult the members, including those that never shoot on Short Siberia, it is probable that a preferred option would have been to improve the facilities that we all use, like the roads, instead of building another small range that has all the hallmarks of a white elephant. Let me explain.
Have the members that shoot on Short Siberia been contacted to establish if shooting in the week is important to them and to how many? I know that this has not been done. So we sally forth to build a range in a water logged, mosquito infested part of Century that requires expensive ground preparation. In other words we pay a high price for a facility that can be used only half of the time - when Century is operated in reverse echelon. That is a formula for poor return on investment. After two years of heavy, mysterious and unaccountable losses, NRA is so cash rich and bristling with financial expertise to be able to invest in such a project. I doubt it, but let the figures speak for themselves.
I would be a good idea, even at this late stage, to publish on NRA website the plans for this range including an artist's impression of the finished product. Details of the targetry that will be used and how is the targetry going to satisfy the requirement that it is as easy to operate as existing targets on Short Siberia and be capable of bearing the targets used at 600yds.
How much are CNC paying for the hire of Short Siberia?
Have they made any lump sum payments and how much?
What is the projected total cost of the new range?
What is the projected annual income from this new range?
These figures will decide whether the project is good, bad or indifferent and, as I am sure that they have been considered before a single penny was committed, it is only a question of pressing a button to upload it to the website, as soon as possible please.
Once again, I am very grateful to you for the information.
With kindest regards,
Alex you really don't get it do you.
An organisation is paying a large amount of money to the NRA to use a range that is hardly used during the week. The NRA is investing that money into providing services so that the current Short Siberia users will have an equal if not better facility. No-one is losing out, there is a net gain to the membership. It is my understanding that the increase in use from the CNC for Short Siberia was asked for very recently and the NRA being aware of its members needs have made plans to relocate the typical Short Siberia user to Century range and provide adequate facilities to, as far as is practically possible, replicate Short Siberia. There is no need to consult the membership over this. If the membership was consulted the decision would probably take several months and in the mean time the CNC would relocate elsewhere and the net gain to the NRA would be NIL as there would be no revenue from the CNC. The NRA cannot afford to lose the very substantial sum that they and we as members are receiving. The cost of the recent upgrades to Short Siberia has been funded by entirely by the CNC. The whole point of a Committee / Trustee structure is that the membership entrusts that body to run events, activities etcon its behalf thus avoiding interminable debate which always results in nothing being done very fast. If you do not like the way that these decisions are made I suggest that you stand for general Council (but then again I doubt anyone would vote for you).
Steve E wrote: If you do not like the way that these decisions are made I suggest that you stand for general Council (but then again I doubt anyone would vote for you).
The bit in brackets, if that had been aimed at me I would have taken offense.
I have never met Alexham however it seems a few forum members have their opinion in regards to his persona. What I did think in regards to all of this emailing the NRA is that perhaps that was done because Alexham does not feel that it will serve any good to contact his local NRA rep?
Steve E wrote:Alex you really don't get it do you.
An organisation is paying a large amount of money to the NRA to use a range that is hardly used during the week. The NRA is investing that money into providing services so that the current Short Siberia users will have an equal if not better facility. No-one is losing out, there is a net gain to the membership. It is my understanding that the increase in use from the CNC for Short Siberia was asked for very recently and the NRA being aware of its members needs have made plans to relocate the typical Short Siberia user to Century range and provide adequate facilities to, as far as is practically possible, replicate Short Siberia. There is no need to consult the membership over this. If the membership was consulted the decision would probably take several months and in the mean time the CNC would relocate elsewhere and the net gain to the NRA would be NIL as there would be no revenue from the CNC. The NRA cannot afford to lose the very substantial sum that they and we as members are receiving. The cost of the recent upgrades to Short Siberia has been funded by entirely by the CNC. The whole point of a Committee / Trustee structure is that the membership entrusts that body to run events, activities etcon its behalf thus avoiding interminable debate which always results in nothing being done very fast. If you do not like the way that these decisions are made I suggest that you stand for general Council (but then again I doubt anyone would vote for you).
clapclap clapclap clapclap
Gun rhymes with fun.
We are constrained only by the rules of safety and our own imagination.
Steve E wrote: If you do not like the way that these decisions are made I suggest that you stand for general Council (but then again I doubt anyone would vote for you).
The bit in brackets, if that had been aimed at me I would have taken offense.
I have never met Alexham however it seems a few forum members have their opinion in regards to his persona. What I did think in regards to all of this emailing the NRA is that perhaps that was done because Alexham does not feel that it will serve any good to contact his local NRA rep?
Christel,
My discipline rep did not know anything about this and he is on Council! Some time ago when we had an in-house editor of the Journal, who believed in the principle of free press it was possible to air these concerns in the Journal and be sure of publication. That channel of communication has been lost (I think they got rid of her) and as Pizer routinely does not reply to letters and emails, I feel a sense of achievement that I "provoked" them into replying. I probably will not get a meaningful response to the letter I just sent, because they have no information that I asked for.
I would not say to anyone what you put into brackets, but I am not offended. Thank you just the same.
