Delay after delay! Add this, add that! Cost is up there now! But wow,
they will be so much better than the original build. Here's the low
down...
Original estimate of $10,220 was, what we thought last year, very
reasonable based on the original construction cost that was around
$30,000+ for the whole project from scratch. We had planned on dropping
some new dirt for the berms, grading the lanes for drainage and lay
down some gravel. So, in good faith, we submitted the proposal to the
NRA Foundation for a $10,220 grant and was awarded that grant.
Since then, ODF hired a Range Design Consultant to give us his thoughts
on our upgrade project. He made some recommendations that we liked and
incorporated them into the plan. It meant more materials and more
excavation work but we thought we'd be okay with that. (I love the
final plan and it certainly is a better way to do it!).
Then a delay for the ODF engineer to draw up the plans and calculate
needed materials. He just got that done week before last! Our deadline
for completing the project was Nov 1st! Yikes!
Our first contractor bid, last week, came in at $46,000+ (included all
excavation, purchasing materials and delivery to site)! Sticker shock!
He is a great contractor and I have no doubt he would do a fantastic
job. However, we're way short.
I contacted the NRA Foundation and was granted an extension of our
deadline to Dec 1st. Now we have a little more time to regroup and
re-plan.
Here's what we'll need to do...
Try to get Lane 3 done with our $10k money. Raise funds to do Lane 4
and continue fundraising to get 2 & 3 done. If our contractor comes
in low enough on lane 3 bid, we may be able to do lane 1 or 2 with this
grant money and/or supplement with some donation monies.
ODF is chipping in two of the types of gravel and rock we need. Trash
No Land will purchase the 1/4-10 impact gravel and the concrete ecology
blocks. TNL will also pay for the delivery of those materials to the
site at lane 3. It should be about a $3,000 bill. That leaves us with
$7,000 for the excavation contractor to sculpt it all into shape at lane
3.
I meet with another contractor at the lane 3 this weekend so he can
submit a bid for that lane. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. He is
available to start in Nov. and won't take long to get that lane done.
If you have a referral of a trucking company who can transport the Eco
Blocks, let me know real soon! We'll need to arrange to pick up 9 full
sized blocks, 2'x2'x6' (4000lbs ea) and 3 half sized 2'x2'x3' blocks
(2000lbs ea) and transport from, I think McMinnville, to NF Wolf Creek
Rd. I'm seeing transport costs at around $100/hr charged portal to
portal.
Believe me, I pretty bummed that we can't get all 4 lanes done right
now. I'm really hoping the community will come together to help finish
the whole thing sooner than later. After all, it is a community place
and we all benefit from such an awesome place to shoot.
Here's some of the details:
When the lanes were new... Simply piled up dirt that was readily at hand, and a little gravel.
We are going to widen the firing line by moving the right set of jersey
barriers over about 6 ft to the right. The short berm will be also be
wider, to the right, yet we'll be able to maintain a clear shot to the
long berm.
Current condition, 2018...
Primary goal is to rebuild these lanes with the kinds of materials that
will afford long term sustainability. We don't want to have to come
back every couple of years and simply dump more dirt. We may need to
shovel up some of the 1/4-10 material from time to time, but it should
be less work in the long run.
Rebuild the short pistol berm with Eco Block inside, 6" minus rock, Pit
Run, behind and under the 1/4-10 impact gravel. 2 ft of 1/4-10 over top
and down the front facing slope...
Put in a 2nd backstop in front of the hill for the long range berm.
Build up is same as the short range berm and backfill to the hill.
Sculpt it to flow into the hillside grade.
So that's where we stand right now. Aggressively going after this and
hoping we can accomplish lane 3 at least. If we raise enough to do
lanes 1 and/or 2 before this is done, we'll certainly do that (Should be
about $5000+/- to do 1 & 2). Afterward, we'll plan on about a
$15,000 fundraiser for lane 4.
Hope that brings you all up to date.
Bill Cogley
