And yet, strangely, 14 members showed up for the scheduled work party to replace the fence around the range that the county totally screwed up when they re-did the drainage ditch that passes through the range property.
Leaving aside the question of competence of the engineers at the Porter County Drainage board engineering offices and subsequent execution of the so-called engineering plans, the range needed a new fence...the old one had been destroyed and strange kids and dogs were wandering into the not so safe zones downrange....
And the kids (and adults) on the four wheelers were causing damage.
Since local laws precluded my suggested solution (*stringing of tight piano wires (painted black) at about 40" height* to discourage trespassing), fence materials were procured and a time was set for installation.
Then we got nearly 3" of rain the night before. Ground kinda skwishy...
Yet, surprisingly, 14 (nearly 10% of the members!) people showed up to erect the fence.
The outdoor range is now somewhat more secure than it was Friday.
It is nice working with MEN, not overgrown children. People who know how to work, take orders, needing no supervision nor coordination and brought their own basic tools and gloves and such, but were instead able to organize themselves to get a job done.
Of course, driving the Kubota loader home 3 miles in 40 degree weather wearing wet shoes was a bitch at the end of a long cold wet day. Now I gotta get caught up on all the other shit I should have been doing this weekend. Winter be coming and I are running out o time
*(apparently the local Po-Po frown upon such measures against trespassers....? who knew? )
At least skwishy ground makes driving fence posts much easier
ReplyDeleteThanks for stepping up and helping out!
ReplyDeleteThat is what the loader was for....I built an attachment that makes pushing the fence poles into the ground a snap.
ReplyDeleteWorth driving it over there so we didn't have to pound 28 poled 2' in the ground, wet or not.
I'm thankful there are people like you who will step up there and do the work as needed. They're lucky to have you there.
ReplyDeleteLots of other folks put in the time to maintain and improve our range as well.
ReplyDelete"Gung Ho" and all that....
As a Board Member for a private range, I've noticed that about 10% step up most any time.
ReplyDeleteBut what a crew that 10% is; people willing to do hard work, do it right and make it last.
From a Board member who really knows what it takes to keep a range running; thanks to you and the others for that work.