Latest news letter and dues increase

Anyone got the new news letter. Someone said dues going up. I have not got my letter or information on dues increase. Anybody in the know on this one?

The last batch of newsletters were mailed yesterday. It is correct that there will be a dues increase of $50. There is a full explanation in the newsletter, but briefly the cost of everything to operate the facility has risen and we are anticipating having to hire some people because our reliable core of volunteers is drying up.
There will be different payment options available to you on the renewal notices which will be mailed out in February.
If you or anyone else does not receive the newsletter package in the next few days, please contact me at administration@kettlefootgunclub.org.
Thanks,
Lynne

Thanks Lynn

OK, I guess I'll be the first to complain. I've been a member for less than 2 years, but I think a $50/year increase is excessive, especially for any member who doesn't get to use the range as often as some do. I only shoot pistols, and only in the Auxiliary/IDPA range. I've never used any other Kettlefoot range, and I feel very safe in saying that I never will. I would gladly continue to pay my currrent yearly dues (or a slight increase) to use the IDPA range and no other range on the property. The increase you have imposed will leave me with a decision to make, especially since I can shoot my pistols on my own property.
I realize the costs of maintaining the property have risen, as have the costs of anything related to a shooting sport. I wish I had the time to volunteer at Kettlefoot, but I don't. With a very demanding job and my own acreage to take care of, I can't even get the time to shoot an IDPA match, muchless practice (which I DEARLY need). I donated the railroad ties for the new bays at the IDPA range through my employer, as well as some loaned tools that Kettlefoot still has and is still very welcome to use, but that's about all I can volunteer, especially with back surgery in the near future...I do clean up after myself (gottta have that brass), as well as cleaning up after the few inconsiderates who leave a mess behind, but that's all I can do.
I do know FOR A FACT that there is a new gun shop and indoor/outdoor pistol range coming to the Bristol-Abingdon area. The numerous permits have been applied for, with the hardest to obtain already approved. It may be another 9-12 months before we see it, but it's coming...
Just my personal ramble-does anyone else feel this way? I personally can pay the 5 extra bucks for a non-member to shoot in an IDPA match, and shoot in my back yard when and if my job will let me.
I love being a Kettlefoot member, but I'll have to decide in the next few months just how much.

Having read ontracks comments I feel I should explain the current dues increase more fully.
A little over 4 years ago I "volunteered to take the Treasurers job at Kettlefoot. At that time we had aproximately 800 members and 26 volunteers running the club.
We average loosing about 100 members per year and replacing them with new members. We are now at the 1000 member mark which means we have added 600 new members since I took office. From those 600 new members I have gotten no new volunteers.
We now have 21 volunteers with an average age of 62.
In 5 years their average age will be 67 and no doubt there will be even fewer volunteers.
I run my own business which demands 50+ hours of my time per week and My President/Treasurers position at Kettlefoot demands 30 hours per week. I am not complaining, but I am now nearly 61 and I cannot continue this workload indefinitely. I have actively looked for an assistant who could take over my job, but have had no success.
Every member of the board and all the volunteers pay dues like everyone else. I have heard none of them complain. Other clubs in the area charge a fee if you do not work so many hours...this is a bookkeepers nightmare and we feel it is not feasable.
In a weeks time I will hear several complaints and rarely a thank you for what has been happening at Kettlefoot. Many days my voluteers and the staff at Kettlefoot are discouraged and ready to quit. Then we receive a nice e-mail or thank you from someone and it lets us know someone appreciates our labor on behalf of all the shooting sports.
Up till now every dime of income at Kettlefoot has gone into maintenance and improvements. We have a full-time maintenance man and a part-time secretary who works full time for part time pay. There are no bonuses or big salaries at Kettlefoot. When you pay your dues it is to make our Club better. Sadly, we must start hiring people to take up the slack and do a lot of the work. This is not to "punish" our members, but to insure the survival of our facility.
Our budget this year is 80% dues, 15% Shotgun profits, and 5% Rimfire profit.Due to factors beyond our control IDPA will make no profit this fiscal year. I have no problem with that. Mark and Walt and staff are great people and do a great job. Ammo costs and availability have hurt all the disciplines probably IDPA the most. Regardless of these facts we have moved ahead with improvements to the IDPA range to the tune of 35,000.00.
We are as a board committed to building and maintaining the finest shooting facility between Roanoke and Knoxville. None of this is cheap. I am sure if a new range is opened in the area their costs will reflect all of the expenses we have and they will charge accordingly.
I sincerely hope that no one drops their membership. At .48 cents a day for a regular and .34 cents a day for senior membership, I see my membership as a bargain. If this places a hardship on you or your family, we as a board are more than willing to work with anyone who needs help.
If you wish to speak to me personaly, I will be more than happy to go into more detail with individuals or concerned groups by appointment at the Clubhouse, however; Please do not use the forum to "Bash" volunteers, staff or officers who with much deliberation have made a tough decision, who are overworked, underpaid, or not paid at all, and sometimes just fed up and ready to quit.
Now, I have vented my thoughts and concerns. Is anyone out there willing to donate time and efforts to volunteer? If your answer is Yes, then contact me and we will find something for you to do. If your answer is "No I would like to but can't". Please know that I understand, Just be willing to help pay someone to help get the jobs done. If anyone would like to be considered for the following positions let me know.
Club Manager
Maintenace Help/Safety Officer
Your help and kind words are always appreciated. Thanks to the many fine people who sacrifice time and money on a daily basis to make our club successful.


Sincerely,
Wayne Wills
President/Treasurer

I would like to be a volunteer to help out. My wife and I have been a member just this year but we are willing to do what we can.

Duane,
Thank you!!!...What is your primary shooting interest?...When can we meet? I will be at the Club house and upper range Saturday 12:00 til ???. I will also be at the Clubhouse Sunday afternoon.
Wayne

Wayne, I hope I didn't come across as "bashing" the club or any volunteers-that was certainly not my intention. I have enjoyed every minute that I have spent at the club, and have met a lot of nice people, including yourself. I have no idea what goes on at the club, or what costs are incurred, because when I come through the gate my only stop is at the IDPA range. And I will say that there has been a GREAT improvement to that range in the short time I've been a member. I'm lucky if I can get to the range twice per month, and this is not your fault, the club's fault, or my fault. I chose my career that I've given the last 30 years to, and I chose to buy high maintenance property that takes way too much of my time. On second thought, I guess it is my fault. I just have to decide if my range time versus price per visit is worth the increase. Again, I hope I didn't offend you, the board, the volunteers or any members by my previous post. If I did, then I apologize.

No offense taken. There was a time in my life when I could not have been a member or enjoyed the Club. I understand that life has many demands and we must all put our priorities in order. Thank you for your kind words. We have talked in the past and I know you want Kettlefoot to prosper. I hope your surgery goes well, Hope to see you soon.
Wayne

I, for one, want to take this opportunity to say 'Thank You' to Wayne, Bill, Lloyd, Bob, Lynn, Jeff, Jim, Terry, Kieth, et al, for all the work they do to make our club the best in the region!

I do regret that I just don't seem to have the time that I wish I had to devote to the club to volunteer for the much needed work that is required to maintain the first class facility that we have here at Kettlefoot. With that said, I would certainly not complain about about a nominal increase in the annual membership dues.

We have a great facility here at Kettlefoot...there is nothing close in the area. Let's keep it that way!

I have only been a Kettlefoot member for 2 years and am only there to stay familiar with my pistol. I am a "new shooter' a recent widow....I have no other place to shoot, as I live in the city. My friends think I am nuts when I tell them it is peaceful and relaxing to come up there to shoot! I have been very impressed with the folks I have come in contact with at Kettlefoot and all have been helpful. As a full time volunteer in another organization, I fully realize the need for volunteer help. I am willing to do what I can, but I am not able to do maintainence work, due to age and health. I can HELP with any office work, if needed or occasional cleaning of indoor facility. Let me have my say on the increase in dues....I realize that we have a need to hire help to run Kettlefoot, but I think $50 is a bit much. That is almost 100% increase for me as a senior, and close to 50% increase for others. I surely would like to remain a member at Kettlefoot, but am weighing the cost vs. how often I am there. If I do decide to stay I would be more than happy to volunteer to help with office work. Thank you to the few that do volunteer.

Just an opinion here about the dues increase.
While I think the club is a nice club and is most likely the best club around a 43.4 percent increase in dues is quite a jump.
If the powers that be here sees a trend of needing more money I would rather get the increase a little at a time than trying to hold down increases for 3 or 4 years, just to look good, then all of a sudden wham a 43.4 percent at one time. Especially in a time we all are going through a money crunch as we ALL have been this year.
I know that trying to hold off increases seems as a good thing but is it really. I know 50 dollars is 50 dollars but it seems to hurt far less when it is extracted a little at a time rather then all at once.
I will continue to pay the dues so I can have a good place to shoot. But maybe the method that is used to determine how, when and how much the dues need to be increased should be evaluated with a powerful magnifying glass. I am sure, as with most things, it can be improved on.

I agree that the percent of year to year increase is steep, but also agree that this is the best club in the area. I like others do not like such a steep increase but would rather pay the increase than move to another club. I've been to them all and Kettlefoot beats them all.

I agree. This is a nice club but a 43.4 percent increasew is STEEP I know Wayne is a business man and there are others in the club too but I bet they haven't marked up their products up that much nor haven't increaed their employees pay 43.4 percent in recent years.
I sure haven't gotten a raise like that in my life and probably never will.
But it is a nice place to shoot.

READ I repeat READ my post. This is not a raise for anyone. This is to Hire people to maintain our facility, and to insure its survival.
Wayne

I have been a member of this fine organization for 20 years more or less. My first introduction to the club was as a new Beecham employee attending one of their annual turkey shoots. I was immediately hooked and have never regretted the decision. I had already made my mind to join before seeing the place based on the descriptions provided by my coworkers.

We are members of the finest shooting facility that I have had opportunity to visit. We also have our memberships at the most inexpensive dues to my knowledge. This past year I progressed to senior membership (one of the few advantages to growing old) and that dues reduction was an additional gift.

A $50 increase in a single move is a large jump, no doubt and the amount is exacerbated by all the years of cheap fees. Regardless, I still feel that the total we will be paying is quite reasonable for the facility that we have.

I am also available for work and prefer afternoons and evenings.

Regards,
Johnny

Thanks Johnny,
Your post made my day. I am always at the clubhouse Tues. Evenings and most Sat. and Sunday afternoons. Let me know when you and/or anyone else would like to meet and discuss the future of our club.Besides some tasks that are labor intensive, There are positions of leadership and management available to those willing. I for one would like to turn this position over to a paid manager in the near future. I have hoped to find an assistant to grow into this job, but I have had no success to date.
I promised the club 5 yrs. back in June 2005. Next year will fulfill my committment. I may stay on longer but as I near retirement I would like to enjoy the club more and spend less time on the job there.
I have enjoyed seeing the improvements completed at Kettlefoot and I hope to see the remainder of our 5 year program completed next year. These include an electric gate early next spring and major improvements to the Rifle and shotgun ranges. I hope you are now using the last key to be mailed at Kettlefoot.
Again Thanks for your kind words and I hope you continue to enjoy the Club.
Wayne

Wayne wrote:
. . . I have enjoyed seeing the improvements completed at Kettlefoot and I hope to see the remainder of our 5 year program completed next year. These include an electric gate early next spring . . .

Wayne . . . your tireless efforts are much appreciated.

Your reference to an electric gate is interesting. Anything we can do to help make this happen?

I and members of the board are meeting with the "gate" man first of the week. It is going to happen...Hopefully before we need to order keys. Your membership card will be your key. Let's hope it all comes together Jan. / Feb. Thanks for the nice post.
Wayne

Wayne in reguard to the gate I offered to help out on the gate before and my offer still stands. I ran my own business installing and repairing gate operators for years untill I was involved in a accident. I do still have contacts in the industry and can still purchase equipment. If interested give me a call 306-4319 I feel I could save the club some money.


Regards Jim

I understand the cost of running Kettlefoot is going up. I don't have a problem paying my share and doing my share. As to the gradual increases, I suppose you would rather have paid $140 two years ago and $160 last year. Lets see, that means you would have paid out $65 more than you have. I think I'll take the $65 I've saved over the past 2 years and put it in on this years dues. At $175, that means I'm only out $110 this year, so my dues have dropped. It's all in how you do the math.

chp, I'm trying to use that same formula on my wife for the rising cigarette prices, but she's not buying it. Seriously, I love KF, even if I only get there once per month or so to shoot my pistol(s). I don't like to see the prices raise on anything that I use or do, but that's just life, and I'll bitch about it when it happens. But I'll still smoke, and I'll still shoot at KF whenever I can, and I'll pay the price to do either. It's a top notch facility BECAUSE of the members, volunteers, and the board, and I thank them all. I'll still complain when the prices raise, but I'd say my membership will last for many years to come. Thanks for having me, and pay no attention to my rants and raves-I'm an only child.

A little over 4 years ago I "volunteered to take the Treasurers job at Kettlefoot. At that time we had aproximately 800 members and 26 volunteers running the club.
We average loosing about 100 members per year and replacing them with new members. We are now at the 1000 member mark which means we have added 600 new members since I took office. From those 600 new members I have gotten no new volunteers.

First off 800+600=1400 NOT 1000 that is either a typo or bad math not sure which, but for a treasurer to make that boo boo....Well i don't even know the guy so i`ll give him the benefit of the doubt.

Second, when i was a member i worked more than i shot by about a 4 to 1 ratio. You still need volunteers, thats understandable. To a point. If you are hiring a maintenance guy full time, the need for volunteers shouldn't be as great as it is now.

Third, no full auto's. Are you serious? That's one of the reasons i left the club in the first place. No .50BMG either from what i was told. Are you guys afraid a gun club will start or something? Last time i checked when the 2nd Amendment was written the Founding Fathers wanted the citizens to have the most up to date weapons available to fight another war if need be.There were no "Flintlock only" restrictions. This is just plain sad. Probably no suppressors either, right?

" I sincerely hope that no one drops their membership. At .48 cents a day for a regular and .34 cents a day for senior membership, I see my membership as a bargain." One of the Pritchard's was an optometrist, you might wanna see him. I have talked to many members and they aren't happy about that giant increase in dues. They don't see the bargain. Maybe we can get a group rate and see whose eyes are bad.

"If you wish to speak to me personaly, I will be more than happy to go into more detail with individuals or concerned groups by appointment at the Clubhouse, however; Please do not use the forum to "Bash" volunteers, staff or officers who with much deliberation have made a tough decision, who are overworked, underpaid, or not paid at all, and sometimes just fed up and ready to quit."

Not trying to "bash" anyone here. Just pointing out some facts. Some here are afraid to say anything, but hey i'm not a member and have nothing to lose.

"Now, I have vented my thoughts and concerns. Is anyone out there willing to donate time and efforts to volunteer? If your answer is Yes, then contact me and we will find something for you to do. If your answer is "No I would like to but can't". Please know that I understand, Just be willing to help pay someone to help get the jobs done."

I guess i`m just venting my concerns too. You want volunteers after raising the dues?? Just be willing to help pay someone to help get the jobs done? Isn't that the reason for the increase? Help me out i`m REALLY confused now. Seriously. I need some answers before i decide to plop down hard earned $$ after that increase.

Oh and as far as the full auto thing...You have any idea what just a plain jane transferable m-16 in decent shape goes for? $16,000-$23,000. 5.56 ammo is around $350/1000rds. Most of the class 3 shoots i go to people usually send around 3,000 rounds down range on average. If the club is that desperate for money, you might want to reconsider that ban on class 3 weapons. Just an idea. But don't take my word for it, you do the research and see if my numbers are accurate. Just search the NFA firearms for sale ads, or shotgun news. Go to the Knob Creek Ky shoot. Or there is one in Camden Tn. See how much $$$ is spent at these shoots. Don't be afraid to talk to the owners and ask questions. You might just be surprised at what you find out! Have any questions for me? If so you can pm me here or reply to this post, as it will not let me post my email address.

Again, don't take this as "bashing" sometimes humor doesn't come across as well in type as well as it does in person. I look forward to your reply.

Sirtango
Happy Shooting!

Sirtango,
I am the treasurer and you are replying to a post 2 yrs old. Your so called humor is questionable and not well taken. You are obviously not up to date on current affairs at the club, not a member and with your attitude never will be.
Wayne

Yeah i saw the post was 2 yrs old after the fact. Not up to date other than what i've heard through members. As far as my attitude if you don't like it get over it, because my attitude doesn't change. As i said i frequent the class 3 shoots. When i was a member it seems as if the club was, not sure whether to classify it as polarized or stratified. Seemed like certain disciplines of shooters frowned upon others and vice versa. I was told not to bring my .50bmg back because "it caused too much damage to the target boards" kinda funny i only fired 1 rd to check for signs of high pressure on my reloads. Got paged back to work. As i was packing up, the guy came by and told me that. As far as me becoming a member again, you can forget that! My money will not be spent at a club that does not support the ENTIRE Second Amendment. It seems my attitude and beliefs have disqualified me from several other organizations as well. Here is the short list:

KKK: I'm not prejudice
Nazi's: I don't hate Jewish people
democrat party: You don't even wanna get me started on this.
TSA: i hate like child molesters
Kettlefoot: my attitude, well at least you have a good excuse!


You all have a good day and good luck with those volunteers I'll stick to the real gun clubs, where ALL guns are welcome.
Sirtango