LASC NEWS RELEASE
Due to the pandemic, it has been a long three years since members of the Los Alamos Sportsmen’s Club were able to meet in person for our annual membership meeting. That hiatus finally came to an end on Saturday, June 4. Over sixty members converged on the Knights of Columbus Building on DP Road to meet, be briefed, elect officers, and enjoy a tasty lunch. There was a lot to discuss and catch up on as a club, as well for individual members being able to meet in person again.
President Tom Turner led off with the exciting news that after a long and complicated negotiation with the Dept. of Energy, the Club now has a fifteen-year lease, thus providing continuity of Club activities and an ability to plan for future improvements and maintenance for recreational shooting and archery, competition, Club educational activities, and law enforcement training. The Club Board would therefore like to tip its collective hat to the LASC negotiations team (Tom Turner, Mell Smithour, attorney Seth Kirshenberg of the Kutak-Rock Law Firm, Dakota Gregory, Dave Houck, and Jim Rickman) who did the difficult and time-consuming work of negotiating an acceptable lease with the DOE and thus ensuring the club actually has a future! In that vein, Treasurer Marv Alme discussed in detail the club’s financial health, as both the financials and the lease signing are critical to the club’s continued success. The Club is healthy as reflected in membership signups this year.
Members were briefed on the current status of the club since Stage 3 fire restrictions have left the club largely closed down; all outdoor ranges are closed. We await news from the Los Alamos Fire Marshal as to when the Stage 3 restrictions will be lifted. However, members were briefed that the clubhouse is available for indoor pistol shooting and archery and new member orientation.
Finally, annual Club elections were held. Members standing for Board offices each addressed the Club membership with their qualifications, goals, and aspirations if elected to Board membership. The new Board members and officers, taking their seats on 1 July, are: President Tom Turner, Vice President: Mike Fanning, Treasurer, Marv Alme, Membership Chair, Dave Houck, Recording Secretary, Steve McLin; and three At-Large Board members, Gary Monce, Mike O’Neill, and Khalil Spencer.
The Los Alamos Sportsmen’s Club is a nonprofit organization that supports membership and the community and encourages the safe and responsible use of firearms and archery.
The Club provides opportunities, instructors and facilities for youth teams for high school and 4-H archery and clay target sports. Local scout troops use the Club for their annual camps. Various instructional programs in firearms safety, internal Club matches and competitions that attract enthusiasts from outside Los Alamos County. Law enforcement agencies such as Los Alamos Police Department, Espanola Police Department and the National Park Service use the Club’s ranges for training and qualification.