 by Andy White April 5, 2005
In an effort to move the project along several members of the Ketchikan Rod and Gun Club requested funding from the club for the purpose of building an archery range. This request met with mixed results. Dissenters appropriately noted that the members organizing the archery range did not have written documentation including site plans that could be handed to the club membership. It should be noted that these members were not against the archery range per se, but they simply wanted a written plan prior to allocating club funding. Proponents of the funding request recognized that while written documentation was not prepared for immediate presentation to the membership, the effort to build an archery range and numerous hours of documented planning was organized well enough to permit club funding for this project. In a seven-to-four vote (7-4) members of the Ketchikan Rod and Gun Club voted to allocate $2000.00 for the purpose of building an archery range on a currently unused portion of the Ketchikan Rod and Gun Club property. The money allocated will be from two sources: The first $1000.00 will come directly from the Ketchikan Rod and Gun Club bank account; and the other $1000.00 will come from NRA grant money that the Ketchikan Rod and Gun Club received as a direct result of the community s involvement at the 2004 Friend s of the NRA Banquet. To be certain the amount of money allocated by the Ketchikan Rod and Gun Club is not in itself enough money to produce the improvements to the land required to build a suitable archery target facility. However, many local Ketchikan residents have stepped forward to commit materials, time, and cash for construction of the facility. Several local businesses have also stepped forward with a commitment for construction materials and equipment. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has also stepped forward with support and a significant commitment for the project. These are exciting times for those of us who target shoot or hunt with archery tackle in Ketchikan! These are also exciting times for anyone in our community who thinks that they would like to learn to shoot with bow and arrow. A small group of archery-minded people, four to be exact, will meet for a second time on Tuesday, April 5th, 2005, to hammer out more details of the proposed archery range. A major goal of this meeting is to complete a written plan for the range facility that is suitable for distribution among the Ketchikan Rod and Gun Club membership, as well as the Board of Directors. The archery range idea has acquired approval, through monetary allocation, from the club. But, the club membership and Board deserves, and will receive, written confirmation of the plans in place to build an archery facility that Ketchikan, as a community, can be proud of. The Ketchikan Rod and Gun Club needs your support. In the coming days plans will be finalized to construct targets and a covered shooting platform on a cleared parcel at the Ketchikan Rod and Gun Club. This will become Ketchikan s new archery facility. The club is currently looking for building materials, construction equipment, and labor in order to move forward with this great community opportunity. If you, as an individual, or as a business, would like to contribute to this effort please contact Andy White at alaskandrew@yahoo.com, or by phone at 247-8414. Andy White
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