Support a new shooting park in Lincoln!

[Jesse T]

Visit the open house and voice your support for the project and the addition of a new public range in Lincoln!

The capitol city needs something like this!

http://www.1011now.com/news/headlines/87848577.html



The plans include:

    *  indoor and outdoor rifle/pistol ranges;
    *  a 50-yard indoor archery range as well as 3D, 90-meter, and 10- to 60-foot field archery ranges;
    * 13 American trap and skeet combination fields;
    * Olympic trap and skeet;
    * 5 stand sporting clays; and
    * a restaurant.



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[Eagle1]

Sounds good Jesse, I will try to make and hope others of you will as well.Thanks for the heads up.

[David Hineline]

Gun clubs should be privately funded not a tax burden.

[bullit]

Supposedly........the start up costs will be $20K.  The funds will be from private donations, NGPC funding set aside for such ranges, and a designation on one's LES bill (i.e. private donation).  The one "concern" as with all government run entities is you can figure the startup costs will at least be triple.  Also, taxpayers will need to be concerned about the annual operating costs.  I personally think it would be great if it can be profitable/break even WITHOUT tax payer subsidization (is that word?)  Certainly a better proposal than the "Boondoggle Arena" that is coming.
Is Heartland in G.I. publicly owned?  Anyone know how that is working out?  This may help Lincoln citizens decide. 

[Jesse T]

I would argue there is a big difference between private gun clubs (for members) and public ranges (for everyone), and a need for both. 

Lincoln had a public range already but it was bulldozed 2 years ago.

[NE Bull]

I know, I know, I'm always looking to the darks side, but I'm afraid if they build the archery range first and wait for funds for the rest, as stated, it gives the public anti's time to get the firearms portions shot down. We all know that a bow and arrow are no where near as dangerous as a gun!. 

Don't get me wrong, its a good notion/ gesture, as we need somewhere to go throw lead around here, but because of the location, I can just 'hear' the neighbors crying about the noise of gunshots. I mean look, they killed the motorcross track(s) and dragstrip proposals due to noise, and they were, for the most part, on the edge of town! (and they would bring more people and revenue to town)

anyway, thats my two cents for today, good day!

[JebM]

Lincoln Trap & Skeet is already located there, so I don't think noise would be much of a concern.

[Jesse T]

correct, the trap club is there and they are a big part of this whole thing. 

The plans I saw were for indoor pistol range of 15 lanes, and an outdoor rifle range "remotely" possible.  I would not count on an outdoor or rifle range but the pistol range is very do-able at least in the initial plans.  Very good discussion here and I urge you to come ask questions and talk about it with the Neb Game & Parks guys, the guys designing the range, and I'm sure trap and archery club members will be present at the event!

[David Hineline]

Yes there is a difference between private ranges and public ranges.

Private ranges all the money goes to the range, public range our tax money goes to the govment, then they keep 70 percent and return 30percent to the public, then those who use the range won't take care of it as they think it is free, so it's like welfare.  It will be a constant financial burden on the tax payers for upkeep and repair, just like public golf courses and public skate parks, the users will trash it.

[DaveB]

And then next spring they take the money to fill potholes because the city ran out of street repair money.

[Dan W]

Lincoln Trap and Skeet is a member owned range that is open to the public now. There is already gun fire there on a daily basis.

The Archery range is right next door on city owned property in Boosalis Park.  The idea is to expand this Archery area, renovate the Skeet and trap fields, and build a new indoor range that can accommodate local law enforcement training areas, retail pro shops, locker space, eating accommodations, and the retail end would be all privately operated.

There are no plans for this to be operated by the City of Lincoln that I am aware of. The City of Lincoln is involved due to the use of city owned  land, currently adjacent to an old city dump,  and the need for law enforcement training facilities.

I guess the shooters in  the Lincoln  area could just suck wind.

We can pay for  new law enforcement only ranges with our taxes, with no benefit to the shooting community. We could also just say "no thanks" to the NGPC for the return of our own money payed via fees and taxes.


Or, maybe you chicken little's could learn a bit about the subject, before you start screaming the sky is falling because of city participation in a shooting range.

Contempt without prior investigation... :angry9:

[Jesse T]

Dan,

As far as I understand it (from the meeting) Both LPD and the FBI Office both removed themselves from any part in this range project.  They want their own separate custom thing that will not be a part of this project but may be on some nearby land (another part of the landfill land). 

The NE Game & Parks folks will be holding the reigns to the public (indoor) range, and the classrooms.  There will be an entire separate lobby for trap shooters to enter, along with archery folks.  The restaurant was unlikely to happen from what I'd heard at the last meeting, and the pro-shop is kind of up in the air too.

[Dan W]

Jesse, I was going off of the floor plans I saw last.  I still hold that the City of Lincoln is only a player here because of the park land involved.

Either way we are going to pay for the law enforcement range.

[WESchultz]

ENLEC - Eastern Nebraska Law Enforcement Consortium - They have been wanting their own shooting/training facilities for a couple years. Haven't seen their latest plans lately. If anyone has an update, I like to see it posted here. The last info I've seen on the ENLEC are in the minutes of this meeting.

http://www.nercd.com/r/p/77/

[BeagleBoy]

Many years ago this same location was sought for the "new" Izaak Walton league.  Boosalis caught wind of the use for a shooting range and made a threat to pull donated land from the city.  I hope this goes through but I also would be slightly concerned regarding revenge of the Ghost of Helen.

Has anyone heard from our beloved Chief Cassidy on this?  If he's quiet there should be concern.

[Dan W]

Word is LPD is still mulling over involvement with use of the ranges for training, but FBI is wanting a  LEO only range that will allow more tactical style shooting with movement over near Bluff Road on some existing  NGPC land.

The Ghost of Helen B...may be the chief in drag?

[Toster]

Did anyone make it out to Northstar?  I was out of town, on a trip.  How was it, did NGP have much to say, what about the home owners around there?

[Dan W]

I was there about an hour and I heard that Jesse T. was also there for a while.  Many, many members and Board from LTSC present.

Marc Russo also  commented that the turn out was more than expected.

Presentation of the concepts and design ideas was very well done IMHO.

I left some feedback, asking for longer rifle range options, otherwise I think the plan is very good.

[Jesse T]

Here is what I gleaned from conversations from Marc (HDR) and Jeff (NGPC):

- outdoor rifle/pistol range is still very much "pie in the sky" May or may not happen
- LPD classrooms were back in the plans but their own range wasn't.  They are planning on building a range of their own to the north on the same parcel of land.  Of course LPD involvment as usual this seems to change about everytime I wipe my behind.  (Sorry for the visual)  What I mean is that nobody there could tell me 100% yes or no that any LE agency would or would not be involved with the project, and likely won't know until the dust has settled and the shovels come out.
- Financing the project will come almost all from private sources and NGP Grant money from federal programs.  Both Marc and Jeff tell me that the city of Lincoln will be fronting no dollar amount to the project.  
Met some cool new folks Dan, sorry I missed you, I couldn't stay too long.  Besides, being unarmed around hundreds of people makes me feel REALLY nervous.

All in all a great meetup and good atmosphere to the place.  Glad to see so many came out.

[Dan W]

Yeah, I even removed my pocket knife, i feel so dirty