East Warren Rod & Gun Club

President’s Corner
The purpose of this posting is to give the general membership some insight into the operations of the club.

(Check back often for periodic updates)

2012 EWRG BOD Members

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A SPECIAL MESSAGE TO ALL MEMBERS FROM THE PRESIDENT!
In a effort to further enforce the rules of the club and to smooth out the cash requirements of the club I am asking each member to to pay his/her member ship by the end of January. In the past this has been ignored though I had the membership secretary come to me on a case by case basis this last year in an attempt to reel it in. This influx of dues is what allows the bigger things to proceed, IE the cost of volunteers day, the new berms at the pistol house, targets, water lines, etc. Be advised that members that do not pay accordingly will have to reapply for membership.
1/18/12 - NEW
1. Well, the year has passed and it is time to take stock again about what we’ve done and where we are going. For things that have happened in a positive vein by introducing volunteer day we have taken care of a lot of maintenance that we would have had to pay for otherwise. A lot of camaraderie was engendered as well and I can say for myself there are a lot more faces to the names I have read on the membership rolls. We had some very well attended fundraisers and we closed the year with a great Christmas pot luck supper. There were some negative things as well and I’m somewhat dismayed that a lot centered around safety and a bit of civil disobedience regarding the club rules. That will be part of the focus of the upcoming year.
2. Yup, 2012 is definitely here. I can tell because it is that time when we start playing catch up with all the clay shooting at the club. We’ve already had a skeet shoot, a trap and our annual meeting crammed into the first two weeks of the year. Before the month is over we’ll have two more trap shoots and one more skeet shoot. That’s a lot of work for the volunteer cadre and as always I’m looking for assistance to get these things done.
3. As I mentioned, we had our annual meeting earlier this month and naturally it happened on one of the coldest days of the season to date. We had approximately 60 attendees and a lot of ground was covered in an hour and a quarter. A moment of silence was given in remembrance of those that have gone on before us, the Pledge of Allegiance was recited and the annual reports presented. In addition three funding requests were presented to, and approved by the membership. Items approved include funds for a kitchen renovation, an outside financial audit, and a “No Blue Sky” hood on the pistol house. If possible it is important that you attend these meetings for no other reason than your voices get heard in an open forum and the questions you ask now may be what your neighbor is thinking about. Elections were held as well and there was a little movement on the board. John Valenti has been succeeded by Ken Duckworth to ride herd on the rifle pistol house and John has become a director at large filling the seat left open by Nobby Morrison.
4. As busy as January is we already have a busy day planned for February. The Field Captain, Tony Santos, has asked me to send out a request for help on February 19th to unload a tractor trailer truckload of targets. Many hands and a few pick- up trucks make light the work, so mark your calendars. Be advised, once the targets arrive there will be not trap or skeet shooting until the houses and container are filled.
5. For those of us that enjoy a little rifle pistol action I’m sure you are aware of the fact that the heater in the pistol house has headed off to heater heaven. Yes, it will be replaced, and hopefully this project will be completed this coming Friday. Please be advised that the range will be closed Friday as the installation goes forward.
6. Another one of those stupid things that happen at EWRG occasionally has happened again. Even after everyone knows the burn pile is for club use only a bunch of wood was left there this past week. In addition the dumpster was filled half way with contractor refuse. This is a service the club has to pay for and anyone who wants to dump there should be willing to pay the pickup fee for the week. A bag here and there is tolerable, but give it a rest, folks.
Jim Heim
12/22/11
1. Here we are with just about another year under our belts. Sure, it’s Christmas time and it is that time of year where we collectively learn once again that is better to give than to receive. One of our more worthy Christmas causes this year was to the Wounded Warrior Program. Though it is impossible to deny that these folks are men and women of our armed forces I’m at that point in my life where I see them all as our kids. Next year as we approach Christmas again I’d like each of you to do the same and contribute to our kids that go in harm’s way.
2. As the year closes and a new one opens up we immediately start the year with our annual General Meeting where new officers are elected to the board and older ones retire. I urge each of you to attend, take place in the voting, and if you really want to serve the club run for office. Personally, I’m of the opinion that if you don’t serve or volunteer in one form or fashion or another you really forfeit your bitching rights.
3. The General meeting is where we as board members ask for funding for those tasks that exceed the authorized funding level of the board. As you have seen in your annual letter we have several tasks that will tax the club accounts. These include funds for an audit, a no blue sky addition to the rifle pistol house, and funding to revamp the kitchen. These tasks are the result of a 5 year planning process that was reinitiated this year. This process will begin again in June so if there is something at the club you think should be addressed speak to your respective captains and board members.
4. We have had a several club shoots between the trap and skeet fields and have consumed a great many of our clays. Our field captain, Tony Santos, will soon be asking for help to load targets into the houses and shortly after that request help for our next trailer load of targets. It’s an easy way to support your club so please do so when the call is made.
5. Speaking of the annual letter, that is the one notice you get per year that your club dues are to be paid by the end of January. It is a given that they are due then and have been for almost forever. Not paying your dues will require that you reapply for membership. Just about all the excuses under the sun have been heard already so you’re going to have to be pretty inventive to be granted an exception.
6. Once again requests have been made that the club support various youth shoots at the club. Usually these take place in the February/March time frame. Volunteers are always needed so I suggest you speak to Tony Santos and/or Chris Bianco as we get deeper into the season.
Jim Heim
10/27/11
1. Well, we had our second volunteer day of 2011. In terms of outcome it was another success. Tasks completed include painting of the pistol house, cleaning and loading targets into the skeet and trap houses, touching up the primed areas of the trap houses, removing, sanding, and staining of the clubhouse base boards, as well as the endless chore of weed whacking. When you next see Tom Padwa, Brad Olson, John Valenti, Chic Lake, Leo Jodoin, Noy Phommaxaysy, Fred Murphy, John Dyson, Jeff Peters, Bill Renchan, Aaron Lawrence, Jason Lawrence, Ken Barrieault, Russ Wallis, Marc Tetrault, Bill Lapointe, Wheat Kelly, Al Wilson, Pete Manchester, Tony Falco Jeff Guilbert, and Brett Keighley and myself, give em your thanks, I know they have mine. There was also a UFO by the name of Colin Keighley whose stunts with a leaf blower were truly acrobatic. Anyone I’ve forgotten has my apologies.
2. Well, we had our second volunteer day of 2011 and in terms of turn out it was truly disastrous. Less than 5% of the club participated! As you sit and make light of that consider what that means. We are continuously calling upon the same people to do the work of many. To alleviate that I am going to request of the board that we contract out to complete a few tasks IE painting the protective fence on low 4, and grading the field where the water line came in, and mowing the fields. Sure, that’s lost income, but it is also a drain on resources. Folks that could have been pursuing other ends were tied up doing the same old same old. In short by not participating you are allowing potential improvement to degrade. Could scheduling be better, sure, but there is always a shoot, always a ride, always a party to consider. Do your part or lose your right to complain.
3. Something that did not begin to get addressed was the build of the planned clubhouse deck. There always hoops to be jumped through before you can get a building permit. Folks that do the sanding, painting, etc. are the same folks that tend bar, are the same folks that have to jump through the hoops. We’re halfway through the hoops and the cold weather will be the next show stopper.
4. A positive note is that the winter skeet league kicked off this weekend and was well attended. There were about 65 attendees and some of the usual suspects, Russ and Chic, prepared a great meal served by Web and Rich. Between the bar and targets another $500 plus of funding was raised. Despite the fact that I teased Kari about dragging Father Mike into the dark side of competitive shooting I believe he won his class. Obviously the power of prayer at work.
5. Two shooting events are coming up this weekend, I believe. The first winter trap league conducted by Brett Keighley and friends, and Rhode Island’s last registered shoot of the year, The Rhode Island Invitational. It’s a 12 Gauge event and Rick Probert tells me that costumes are preferrd attire. So, here’s the scoop about competitive shooting for the new folks, it’s the best way to learn quickly. Join the winter leagues, support your sport, have some fun and learn the dangers of being thin skinned. Heckling seems to be part of the game.
6. The same crew that brought you last week’s skeet dinner will be serving a surf and turf again this Saturday. Yeah, Russ, Chic, and their servers are being whipped into shape by Tim Sylvester to do another sold out event. Somebody has to teach Tim to cook! Give them a hand serving if you can.
7. Tim is continuing his fund raising efforts with a Turkey Shoot planned for November 19th. Come have some fun with lucky targets and laugh in the face of fortune.
8. For all members, you should know that EWRG is a no hunting area, yet it seems our property is being trespassed and poached upon. If you see someone on our property please let the board know. Further, if it is a member known to you I really want to know that.
9. Y’know, EWRG has a pretty good board of directors. Marc Tetrault is the VP, Chris Bianco is our Membership Secretary, and our treasurers are Chris Bianco, Matt Joe, and Alex Borden. Tony Santos has responsibility for the trap and skeet fields, John Valenti rides herd on the rifle/ pistol folks, Sonia Frias keep our records, Chic Lake is the keeper of all the secrets around the club. Leo Jodoin, Russ Wallis, Jeff Branco, Chris Borden and Nobby Morrison round out our directors at large. You get the theme here, the same names all the time! You want to help out, start by thanking them for all the visible stuff and not so visible stuff they do. Think you can do better, well elections are coming up, step up and pitch in. Me, I just listen to your comments and bask in the glory of being president.
Jim Heim
9/15/11
1. I haven’t written to you as of late because the summer always stresses the availability of volunteers to man the facility. It becomes obvious to me that operations, which equals cash to implement change, is king. Without our volunteers to open the facility, collect fees, and maintain the property all we have is a piece of depreciating property. Our volunteers become stressed and are prone to burn out because the numbers are so low. Each time you come to shoot at EWRG it behooves you to treat this core group with the respect they deserve. If they are bartending tip them generously, we are the cheapest game in town. Further, it makes you a stakeholder to join and support this group.
2. Once again, courtesy of Tim Sylvester and his crew, we had a very successful surf and turf dinner. Attendees had a good time and added close to $1,000.00 to the club coffers. This is timely as we become aware that our main refrigerator is on it’s way to appliance heaven.
3. Over the last few board meetings I have brought to the attention of the board of directors that we appear to be a club with a systemic problem of abiding by the rules. Examples of this include: people going down range after the opening of the skeet/trap fields, shooting the pistol range plates with high caliber rifles, not signing in prior to shooting, not loading skeet and trap machines, using shot larger than that authorized by the club, driving down to the rifle pistol house, etc. To me this is indicative of behavior of members in bad standing. To curb this behavior I have charged each BOD member and captain to enforce the rules as we know them. Further, as members of a club I charge each of you to do the same. I treat the continuing sucessful operation of EWRG very seriously and expect you to do the same.
4. On an upbeat note it has been requested and approved by the BOD that we will welcome the Boy Scouts to use our rifle/pistol range in support of their objective to hone their marksmanship and safety skills for next year’s competition. John Valenti will be in charge of this effort and can give you the details. Likewise, Chris Bianco has asked for and received approval by the BOD to conduct clay shooting workshops for the Boy Scouts in their pursuit of merit badges, safety and marksmanship.
5. We survived a hurricane and a tropical storm this year that affected all of us. You all know the club was without power for about a week, as were many of our members. Our pulse was weak and it resulted in our throwing away a lot of the food stuffs stored in the kitchen. Well, we are back up and running, but our power systems have been challenged. In an effort to minimize future inconvenience National Grid has marked out a new path for bringing lines on to the property. This will involve installing new poles in the field adjacent to the driveway. Hopefully this will minimize future tree falls on the lines.
6. You might see a lot of new faces over this week. Sonia Frias is conducting the Annual Hunter Safety course at the club house. Please be patient, be supportive and welcoming to these folks. Hopefully we’ll snare a new member or two and Sonia reports nightly sales of snacks to the hungry.
7. Lastly, we are drawing close to the time of year where we button up for the winter. Just as we did in the spring we are going to have another volunteer day at the club. At the request of some of the members who work on Saturdays I have received permission from the BOD to have Sunday the 16th of October, set aside for this event. The club will be closed that day to pursue such tasks as: repainting the exterior of the R/P house, painting the trap houses, painting the field 4 target wall, moving and tuning traps and so on. Yes, the weeds will need to be whacked down again, and as always there will be a cleanup of the property. I’m hoping we can get the lower fields mown and the upper field raked in anticipation of seeding. If there is some task that you want to see done please see your respective captains and board members. While all help is appreciated it would be nice to see some new faces.
6/30/11
1. This is the time of year where everyone is becoming busy. Registered shoots are ongoing, trap has taken off and the R/P folks are attending matches at other clubs. Volunteers are pretty thin on the ground to open the range and to open the fields. RSO and field calendars are posted at the club. If you have the time, and qualifications, take a day. Because of the pressures on volunteers it would be to your benefit to call the club before heading over to ensure it is open.
2. We just had another feed at the club, a chicken and pig roast that netted over $400.00 to the hungry coffers of the club. Our Thanks go to Tim and Leo and all the attendees and helpers that made this happen. Word is that the food was excellent so keep tuned for future events.
3. It is apparent that folks are not embracing the fact that it is your club. Although there was a happy crew that did a lot of work around the facility back in April, operations are an ongoing way of life. If you see trash on the ground, pick it up. You see a full trash barrel empty it. If you shoot until the machines are emptied, fill them. If you have shot the paint off the plates be courteous to the next person and paint them. To do otherwise identifies you as a user, not a member. Volunteers cannot be expected to carry the club alone.
4. The 5 year planning process will be closing at the end of July. Reviewing past plans provided to me by Jeff Guilbert I am assured me that this process is worth pursuing. Almost all the items previously planned for have been achieved. Without a plan it just won’t happen. If you have some project that you’d like to see get done and wish to pursue it see a board member and kick off an idea.
5. With the increasing membership and the turnover of existing members we have pushed capabilities of the member card systems. Along with that, technology is leaving us behind and the cards that we currently use are no longer supported by the producer. So as to not impact the membership and future enrollment I have directed that an alternative source of cards be found. Cards have been procured along with updated readers that should sustain us for a few more years. When the changeover begins, as cardholders, you will get notices of when your current cards will no longer be effective and new ones can be procured at the clubhouse. Keep your eyes open for the post card and to the club web site for updates.
05/02/11
1. First and foremost this past Saturday, April 30th, was our first bi annual volunteers day at EWRG for 2011. As you walk around the facility you’ll see we are considerably spruced up. A synopsis of tasks include: repair of the R/P berms, clean up of the property, painting and bleaching of the club house, painting of the skeet houses, mowing and weed whacking all the fields, cleaning brush, raking the lower fields, having one hell of bonfire and enjoying a meal together. I’d like to extend my thanks to all of those that took part in these efforts. A list of participants is listed below.
Antonitis,Greg/ Baker,Ralph/ Borden,Matt/ Borden,Chris/ Borden,Alex/ Burnett,Joe/ Cabral,Sue/ Cabral,Bob/ Cabral,Steve/ Cabral,Steve's daughter/ Corey,Scott/ Dyson,John/ Foley,John/ Frias,Sonia/ Frias,Rick/ Gardiner,Dave/ Gordon,Rich/ Heim,Jim/ Jodoin,Leo/ Joe,Matt/ Keighley,Brett/ Keighley,Kari/ Keighley,Colin/ Kelley,Wheat/ Lake,Chic/ Lapointe,Phil/ Manchester,Pete/ Marren,Pete/ Moniz,Austin/ Morrison,Nobby/ Niekerk,Peter/ Overwood,Steve/ Peniston,Chris/ Peters,Jeff/ Raposa,Rob/ Santos,Tony/ Shatrenko,Sergei/ Smitty/ Sousa,Chris/ Tetrault,Marc/ Theroux,Bob/ Valente,John/ Wadja,Dennis/ Wallis,Russ
My apologies to anyone whose name that I did not capture or spell correctly.
2. Many of you have come to me over the past few months with your wish lists of things you’d like to see accomplished at the club. Part of that has been accomplished through the efforts above. However, to proceed further I am requesting the board of directors to come back to me at the second BOD meeting of May with their initial inputs for a 5 year plan. From the 5 year plan tasks will be prioritized into an annual plan for objectives to be completed each year. Many of these tasks will be capital tasks requiring significant resources. Each task should have the following component: Description, objective, required skill sets, and a rough order of magnitude of cost.
3. The summer is always the time of year where we have trouble keeping the facility open due to volunteer’s other commitments. To date this has not been too much of an issue but be advised it would be a good idea to call ahead on the weekends to be sure the club is open. Per usual, I’ll be calling folks do their time.
04/03/11
1. A lot of you have asked, “what can I do to help the club?” Now is your chance. On Saturday April 30th the club will be closed for spring volunteer’s day. From 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM you can help by bringing your paint rollers, paint brushes, brush cutters, pruners, step ladders, etc to help. An abbreviated list of tasks includes: Painting and staining the club house, a top to bottom cleaning of the interior of the club house, policing all trash across the ranges, and outlying property, build ramps for the storage containers, repairing and painting the fences on the fields, painting the trap houses, repairing all the targets on the rifle pistol range, painting all the plates, reinforcing the berms if time and weather permits and so on. A formal task list will be posted on the bulletin board and a sign up book will be left at the bar. A simple meal of burgers and dogs will be provided.
2. At the last board meeting the board of director’s reviewed the issues at hand and has opted to let the freeze on membership expire. In short, EWRG is once again taking applications for membership.
3. The board has received a request to hold a skeet shoot at the request of the Federated Sportsman. This is a three club event with EWRG hosting on August 20th. Tiverton will be holding the trap event and another club will sponsor a rifle/pistol shoot. Notices will be posted as the venue gets further defined. All members are urged to participate and support other clubs.
4. You’ll have noticed that where the city water was brought in to the club house that the parking lot has begun to settle. This was expected and yes it will be addressed later in the summer when it is determined that there is no further settling.
5. I’d like to reiterate that the field captain has requested that all trap and skeet machines be topped off after you have finished shooting. Don’t make the task any harder than it needs to for the next shooter by letting the machines run dry.
03/09/11
1. You have probably all noticed that the parking lot has been torn up over the last few weeks. This is the result of linking the club to town city water services. The well that provided water to EWRG was failing and city service was approved by the membership at the general meeting.
2. Those of you that read the postings of the NRA and Skeet Review are more than aware of the fragility of the small gun clubs. The common thread to most closures is the viability of the volunteer base that supports the club. In an effort to engage the membership in volunteering I have proposed to the board that two volunteer days take place; one in the spring and another in the fall. I have requested from each captain, rifle/pistol, field, and house a list of improvements from their respective areas. A few immediate tasks are: painting the club house, making repairs to the trap houses, improving the berms, etc. Dates and sign up sheets will be posted shortly.
3. In an agenda to the Board of Directors I gave them the message that “We are they.” By that I mean that each member of the club is responsible for the club. It is our club and it is up to each of us to maintain and improve it. If you see something wrong or undone don’t wait for “they” to fix it, do it. Litter on the ground, pick it up. Trash barrels full, empty them. Plates unpainted, paint them. Floor dirty in the club house, sweep it. Doing each of these tasks prevents us from having to hire paid caretakers.
4. It is my opinion that planning is central to success in any organization. In an effort to ensure the ongoing success of EWRG I have asked the board of directors to reinitiate the process of 5 year and annual planning. See your respective captains and board members to become part of it.
5. The field captain has asked that we emulate other clubs in the area regarding the trap machines. In short, if you can shoot targets you can load the machines. Take part in topping off the machines every few rounds so the next shooter is not starting with an empty machine.