ARIZONA GAME AND FISH DEPARTMENT INTER-OFFICE MEMO TO: Funds/Planning Manager FROM: Don Turner, Chief, Ben Avery Shooting Facility SUBJECT: FY 1996-97 Annual Report, Statewide Shooting Ranges, Jobs 1 through 5 DATE: August 29, 1997 Please find attached the original and two copies of the first Annual Report for the Statewide Shooting Ranges Project from July 1, 1996 to June 30, 1997. cc: Tom Spalding, Deputy Director Kerry Baldwin, Education Branch Chief Terry Allison, President ASRPA Bill Brandel, Rangemaster Larry Collins, Rangemaster Michele Widhalm, Rangemaster Ann Hayward, Office Manager BASF09:082997 ANNUAL REPORT State: Arizona Project Title: STATEWIDE SHOOTING RANGES Job Title: STATEWIDE SHOOTING RANGE ADMINISTRATION Job No: JOB NUMBER 1 Segment No: SEGMENT NUMBER 1 Project Period: From : July 1, 1996 To: June 30, 1997 I. Job Objective: To administer the statewide shooting range project on statewide shooting ranges by providing a focal point for assistance to the shooting range operators via providing a forum and contemporary information and advice on: range safety, operations, maintenance, and development; procurement of grants and funds; range planning; firearms training and education programs; and all other aspects relating to shooting range management and project goals. II. Accomplishments: Shooting Range Development grant files were transferred from the Development Branch. The prior Shooting Range Grants administrator agreed to continue to monitor grants in progress and this project began to administer new grants. A grant was awarded to Peoria Rod and Gun Club for installation of a skeet field. This grant was later turned down by the Peoria Club at the request of their board. The Project Leader provided grant assistance to on going grants with the Rio Salado Sportsmen Club, and the Mohave Sportsmen Club. The project leader had several discussions and met with a group considering the development of a shooting range near Flagstaff. Numerous correspondence and phone calls occurred between project personnel and various shooting ranges and clubs regarding range development, range safety, and range administration. ANNUAL REPORT State: Arizona Project Title: STATEWIDE SHOOTING RANGES Job Title: BEN AVERY SHOOTING FACILITY ADMINISTRATION Job No: JOB NUMBER 2 Segment No: SEGMENT NUMBER 1 Project Period: From : July 1, 1996 To: June 30, 1997 I. Job Objective: To administer the Ben Avery Shooting Facility as a focal point of a statewide range program. To operate and manage the facility (including the trap and skeet ranges "Clay Target Center") with an emphasis on range safety, facility security, fire protection, facility sanitation, facility maintenance, facility operations including public user groups and volunteer coordination, scheduling, cooperative agreements, public firearms education, development of long range plans, and public use. BASF management priorities have been established as: SAFETY, SECURITY, OPERATIONS, SANITATION, PUBLIC RELATIONS. II. Accomplishments: Start up Activities: At the beginning of this project year, there were no project staff nor project equipment. The Field Operations Coordinator (on temporary detail to BASF) prepared and received approval of: Statewide Shooting Ranges Project Narrative; Job Description for year one; Budget for year one; Established positions, through State Personnel, for Chief Rangemaster, (3) Rangemasters, Office Manager, Maintenance Specialist, and a Heavy Duty Janitor position were added to the permanent staffing. Due to the massive volume of work to be accomplished several temporary personnel were hired for task related issues. Two rangemasters completed training in General Instructor Course. One completed training as Police Firearms Instructor. Three completed training as Sig Sauer Armorers. Several in-house staff/training meetings were conducted. Lead testing of work site was conducted with negative results. Noise level assessment was completed. Equipment: Specifications were established and bids awarded for the purchase of $300,000 of capital equipment which included: AC/DC generator, three utility trailers, one dump trailer, three 2X2 Deer Gators, two 2X4 Deer Gators, five range vehicles (three 4X4, two 2X4 pickups) vehicles were outfitted based on vehicle duties, one John Deer 5400 Tractor with bucket, backhoe, forklifts, hydraulic grader blade, self leveling scraper bucket, sidebar mower, street sweeper, and post hole digger, two Pentium PCs and printers, three video players/monitors, one overhead projector, one portable sound system, two 35mm slide projectors, one caramate projector, one video projector, one roadway counter, five mobile vehicle radios, four police emergency packages, and eight portable radios. Administration: Prepared draft five year maintenance plan; developed comprehensive list of redevelopment projects; completed 12 procedures; improved signage of safety areas; oversight of operation, maintenance, and redevelopment projects; met with various user groups; assisted in the establishment of the Ben Avery Range Association; worked with Ben Avery Fund; provided supervisory oversight of BASF employees, temporary personnel and volunteers. Met with City and State officials regarding health and safety regulations. Provided for state disposal of recyclable materials. Standardized office procedures regarding scheduling, income and deposits, phone use, mail and shift scheduling were completed. A Main Range Office was established which included the purchasing of file cabinets, furniture, and a phone system. Clay Target Center: Established standards and specifications for the bid to select a new operator for the trap and skeet ranges. L.B. Chief, Inc. was selected. Worked with new operator in preparing site for opening. The Clay Target Center was open for public shooting on the first of February 1997. ANNUAL REPORT State: Arizona Project Title: STATEWIDE SHOOTING RANGES Job Title: BEN AVERY SHOOTING FACILITY OPERATION Job No: JOB NUMBER 3 Segment No: SEGMENT NUMBER 1 Project Period: From : July 1, 1996 To: June 30, 1997 I. Job Objective: To operate the Ben Avery Shooting Facility as a safe complex for shooting oriented programs including: scheduling of competitive events, training, hunter education, sight in services, buildings, and campsites; oversight of safe shooting programs; community outreach and spectator services; community involvement via donations and volunteer efforts; coordination with approximately 100 user groups; public information and relations; wildlife information programs. II. Accomplishments: SERVICES: During the project year, BASF provided recreational and shooting services to 91 user groups plus public shooting. User Groups conduct their own events and they are monitored by Facility Staff. BASF provided the following shooter days: 34,774 main range, 11,414 match, 864 police, 1,685 commercial, 28 military, 4,631 archers for a total of 57,015 shooter days. This is an increase of 5,150 shooter days over the previous year for all categories not including the Clay Target Center. Of these shooters 2,550 were women shooters and 3,619 junior shooters represented in all categories except Clay Target Center. Services were also provided to 645 vendors, 2,767 shooters stayed in the campground and approximately 3,500 spectators visited the facility. Also hosted Hunting and Fishing Day. In addition, the Clay Target Center provided 8,787 shooter days from February to June 30 bringing the overall Facility total to 71,764 shooter days . The next two pages display the usage by month for FY 96-97 (ANNUAL REPORT BASF USERS 96/97), and a bar chart showing the shooter days as a percentage of the whole. Please note that Main Range public shooters provide 57.38% of the range usage. (96/97 SHOOTER DAYS BY CATEGORY). INSERT ANNUAL REPORT BASF USERS INSERT Shooter days by category INCOME: Due to the varied fees for usage of the Facility established by the Ben Avery Range Task Force and adopted by the Department, the ratios of shooters to fees is not consistent. During this project year, the Facility income was $241,610.00 of which $138,627.00 was from the Main Range making it the highest income source at 57.38% of the overall income. The Clay Target Center provided five months of income to this total as the center was not open to use until February of 1997. Please see the table on the following page for specifics of project income by category and month (96/97 INCOME REPORT), and on the next page a pie chart of income by categories. Project income is deposited with the State Treasurer and is used by the project. insert 96/97 income Insert pie chart income PUBLIC SUPPORT: A tremendous amount of public support has been given to the Facility this year. The Ben Avery Range Fund continues to donate support for features of the facility. A local donor completely landscaped the Activity Center. The volunteer program is a high mark of citizen involvement. The Facility had 20 Range Hosts through the winter months and another 41 citizens volunteer their time for various activities. This report does not record the Hunter Education Volunteer hours. During the project year volunteers donated 4296.5 hours for firing line duty, 601.0 hours for repairing targets, 133 hours for assisting with sight-ins, 2,601 hours with archery range maintenance, 9,036.25 hours for facility maintenance, and 6 hours with instruction for a total of 16,669.75 hours (2,083.7 volunteer days or 8.1 full time employees). At a personal services standard rate of $12/hour this amounts to $202,176 of donated labor. We cannot thank our volunteers enough for their hard work and dedication. See the next page for details by duties by month (ANNUAL REPORT 96/97 VOLUNTEER HOURS). The final table for Job 3 summarizes and compares income, shooter days, camper days and volunteer days for FY 95/96 and FY 96/97 by month. Note: Due to the short season for the Clay Target Center for this year and a lack of reports for last year, some of these tables may not be comparable at a detailed level. INSERT VOLUNTEER HOURS SUMMARY: The next table conta insert two year comparisson ANNUAL REPORT State: Arizona Project Title: STATEWIDE SHOOTING RANGES Job Title: BEN AVERY SHOOTING FACILITY MAINTENANCE Job No: JOB NUMBER 4 Segment No: SEGMENT NUMBER 1 Project Period: From : July 1, 1996 To: June 30, 1997 I. Job Objective: To maintain the Ben Avery Shooting Facility as a safe complex for shooting oriented programs, and provide acceptable standards for facility safety, facility security, and safe public use. II. Accomplishments: A maintenance required log was established for each range within the facility. In addition, a request for maintenance/projects form was prepared and sent out for all user groups for input. Many maintenance projects were completed. A summary listing follows; however, due to the volume of work accomplished and maintenance needed, regular maintenance projects are not listed. It is also noted that besides range personnel, temporary employees and volunteers, many user groups performed maintenance at their respective ranges in preparation or clean up for events as well has having "range work parties" for their membership. The Boy Scouts of America completed four Eagle Scout Projects on site. Five water leaks were repaired. Four new water coolers were installed. Parking lots at highpower range, benchrest, practical pistol, running boar, air gun, maintenance compound, and campgrounds were covered with decomposed granite. Four septic tanks were cleaned out. Four material bins were constructed. Tables and benches were repaired. Main Range office was set up. Phone cables conduits were installed into trenches. A public information center was constructed. Twenty-two rifle racks were installed on the Main Range. Shade cover for target repair area was completed. Benches were installed for visitor waiting. Rifle racks for Junior program guns was installed in Armory. Armory was set up. Roads were swept and asphalt patching completed. Four stairs were constructed for safe access to 1000 yard firing points. 900, 800, 300 yard firing points on high power range were rehabilitated. 100, 150 yard firing points on high power range were installed. 300 meter berm was removed. Auxiliary pistol range berms were repaired. Practical Pistol Range impact berms and lateral berms were extended and repaired. A new safety access was completed on the west side of Rifle Silhouette range. Bench rest 300 yard line was repaired. New highway signs were installed. A wood shop was constructed and equipped in the air gun building. The air gun ranges were fenced and screened from the equipment storage area. ANNUAL REPORT State: Arizona Project Title: STATEWIDE SHOOTING RANGES Job Title: BEN AVERY SHOOTING FACILITY REDEVELOPMENT Job No: JOB NUMBER 5 Segment No: SEGMENT NUMBER 1 Project Period: From : July 1, 1996 To: June 30, 1997 I. Job Objective: To redevelop the Ben Avery Shooting Facility with on site projects designed to reduce maintenance costs, improve safety of the users and security of the facility, increase numbers of concurrent users, increase efficiency, and improve safe firearms, archery, and outdoor public education and recreation. II. Accomplishments: During this project segment, the Development Branch hired an engineer to be assigned to BASF for three years of redevelopment. Due to personnel issues, this position was not filled for most of the project year. The other Department engineer filled this duty in addition to other duties. $9,310.00 was expended to complete an Archeological Survey of the entire facility. $70,728.96 was expended at the Clay Target Center for various projects including asbestos testing and remediation. Other projects included: electrical evaluation, concrete work, door repairs, roof repairs, air conditioning repairs, ceiling replacement, clubhouse repairs, electrical repairs, duct work reconstructions, electrical additions, roof repairs trap and skeet houses, insulation. Once the Clay Target Center was on line, emphasis shifted to the Main Range which receives the majority of use. Projects included: constructing four target frame holders, installing a paging system and weather station, constructing a new safety tower, completing the concrete shooting pad, installation of 54 new concrete shooting tables, repairing and repainting all the stools, new target holder, construction of an accidental discharge safety bunker, installation of safety rails, installation of gear tables, upgrade to the PA system. The Main Range building was completely repainted inside and out with a new roof, air conditioning, and gutters installed. The inside was converted from an office to a volunteer center, and training building. An ADA sidewalk was constructed from the Main Range parking lot handicapped parking to the Main Range entrance sidewalk. Eight new picnic tables and two waiting benches were purchased. A new interactive phone system was installed. A safety wall was constructed between the Main Range and Smallbore, and the safety berm was extended between the Main Range and 2700 pistol ranges. The Main Range canopy and safety rails were repainted. The smallbore building was repainted inside and out. Three visitor shade canopies at the Main Range were repainted. The parking lots at Smallbore, Activity Center, and Main Range were slurried and repainted. New parking bumpers were installed. A gas station of 1,500 gallons of gas and 500 gallons of diesel were installed in the maintenance compound. This allows for purchase of fuel products at cheaper rates, allows for safe fuel transfer for lawn and maintenance equipment, and reduces down time and extensive driving for patrol and maintenance vehicles to obtain gasoline. A safety fence was installed between the campground and high power range.