When you look back at your fondest Camp Perry memories, your time pulling pits comes to mind first, right?. OK, maybe not first, but any highpower shooter who ever spent time at Camp Perry certainly has a love-hate relationship with the pits and those old target carriers that have been there since Viale Range was first built in 1907. This coming year though, when your relay is called to the pits on Viale Range, things are going to look a lot different. No, your vision is not failing you; major changes are indeed in the works for the Viale pits.
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| The
firing point markers are all that remain standing down range at the
Viale pits. Behind them the berm has been removed for
reconstruction. |
Over the next seven months, the Viale pits will be completely reconstructed. Official planning to replace the nearly 100-year-old pits began in 2004 with the formation of a Camp Perry Executive Council by Major General Greg Wayt, the Ohio Adjutant General. The Council consists of representatives of the State of Ohio, the Ohio National Guard, the Civilian Marksmanship Program, and the National Rifle Association.
The Viale pits were identified as a high priority for
reconstruction and the Ohio National Guard was
able to obtain funding for the project because of the National Guard Bureau’s
renewed interest in Known Distance (KD) rifle training.
Staging for construction began this last week.
The old target carriers have already been removed from the concrete and
lined up behind the pits area. The
old berm and pit will be completely rebuilt.
New target carriers will replace the old systems after the berm is
replaced. Do not fret though;
construction is scheduled to be completed by May 1, 2006, in plenty of time for
the 2006 National Matches.
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| Old
target carriers are lined up behind the construction staging area.
New systems will be used once the project is completed. |
Other improvements to Camp Perry are also in the planning stages. The most significant of these is the proposed creation of a 40-space RV Park. The park would displace a portion of the helicopter landing pads off Scorpion Road, which is the eastern perimeter road of Perry. Very soon, 2005 competitors will be asked to respond to a survey asking how much they would use an RV park if it were located at Camp Perry. More projects were on the Camp Perry Executive Council agenda for this year, but the recent disasters on the Gulf Coast have shifted military priorities to critical needs in that area.
The CMP will keep you updated as progress is made on all of these projects, and we look forward to seeing you in the Viale pits next year.
To view additional photos on the reconstruction, click http://www.odcmp.com/Photos/05/Viale_Range/index.htm.
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