ATA Memo of Understanding - - Misunderstood?

Well not so fast with the MOU stuff! The ATA seems to be backing off the MOU (memo of understanding) that was written in stone. Now it seems they are pushing a new MOU that can be better understood. The old MOU was to last 4 months and was a sure thing, part of "the plan".

The "New MOU" will be about the ATA leasing the place for only 3 weeks. I hinted that may happen in an earlier post. Nothing for sure like the last MOU? lol

So if I understand the new Memo of Understand there is nothing on the slate at Sparta but the 3 weeks the new MOU will cover.

Merlo out

 

This MOU is nothing but a understanding with no legal status. It was just something put out there to keep the Kool Aid drinkers appeased. Now you have vendors who were being told their renewals were too include four shoots and they're looking at one 12 to 14 day event. Do you really think the vendors are going to put any serious money into a one shoot agreement. Things are going down hill fast. Thanks for keeping us informed with the real information Merlo. On another front the purchase of the WSC is probably a pipe dream. It's a designated state park so it's sale would bring everything back to the forefront for all the legislators to discuss. Wonder how they would react to gun nuts offering the state a huge financial loss. For the amount being kicked around the state would sell to a different entity just to get rid of the gun nuts.

 

I doubt the state of Illinois will place any importance to reopening the WSC for one 12-14 day event. I can easily see this place shuttered to save money and the state looking to get it off the books. As it stands it's been nothing but a huge financial loss for the state that never came close to living up to the sales pitch they were presented with. I'm sure the lemmings will think I'm crazy but I'm not seeing the future as the news gets worse every day. Vendor income will be a thing of the past as the big vendors are not going to staff up the buildings for one shoot.

 

Think Meig's Field, lake front air port for all of the big shots and big wigs to fly into Chicago, and be in the "Loop" in 20 minutes or less for their big meeting and then get back out of town without ever having to deal with the Dan Ryan Expressway , or I-55 to Midway airport , made the city a lot of money but eventually got closed down due to lack of business ... Sat dormant for a few years and finally got bull dozed after all was said and done ... If there ever was a location , that was it in spades ... Gone, is no more and most people don't even know it was there back in those days ...
The WSRC was doomed from the first day and has cost the State big money ($23 million plus ) over the past 11 years ... Smoke and mirrors for 11 years and then the smoke cleared and it will be gone also ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

wpt, also kinda like Vandalia airport. They kicked out the ATA and nothing ever happened after that.

 

Yes to a point but the airport in Vandalia is still in operation, where as Meig's field was bull dozed by order of the Mayor of Chicago ... Google it, its a very interesting story and a good read, but shows you just how things can happen if someone gets a wild hair ... We used to go down there and watch the planes take off and land in the evening , cheap entertainment for a family with 4 kids that were not well off financially ... My point being it was a money maker for the city of Chicago at one time , when it dried up Daley got rid of it post haste ... Sparta, (WSRC) has never turned a profit since it opened and has added only to the State deficit on an annual basis ... That is not something you want to argue in favor of when push comes to shove and you are trying to make a point on why to keep it ... They tried, it failed, move on ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

Technically, we left the grounds when we were good and ready. In fact, in the rush to vacate Vandalia in 2012, officials forgot to review their lease agreement. They made the announcement of their relocation in January siting a May date that they would be all moved out. They also forgot to mention it to officials of the Trapshooting Hall of Fame, who immediately started getting quotes to move and store the office equipment, library and artifacts in the museum. I believe the THOF vacated the building in September and the City of Dayton would not let the ATA out of the requirement of advance notification, so they paid the lease, property taxes, insurance and utilities until February 2013.

Now, with respect to the Grand American Handicap tournament, two main issues were reported to the Board of Directors. The airport expansion and construction of a huge parking garage; but more importantly, the change in runway safety standards issued by the FAA. The runway safety regulation caused the loss of 39 trap fields. The ATA was forced to either scale down the GAH program and/or place requirements for qualifying to shoot the GAH, or find another place to hold the annual tournament.

I do agree that the Airport officials made it pretty clear for many years that we needed to find another home. At least that's the way I remember it.

 

You cant scale down the grand more than it is now. The "Classic" at the CC will be bigger than any imaginary shoot they could have at Sparta this year. The CC, PA, and NY will will have state shoots larger than the shoots at Sparta. Time to roll up the carpet and look to the future.

The place is finished. Only the cronies making money off the shoot are pushing it. Trap Wife will have to find another job. It is over.

 

Strange we have not seen a press release from the IDNR stating that. Doesn't the ATA crier let us know with a letter about the new fantastic direction?

 

They have a 3 week lease. Illinois tore it up. Just getting tired of reading this crapola. Before the news is out here are the future headlines. So and so bails out the ATA.

At the end of all this bailing out the ATA and trapshooting gets weaker and weaker.

Just tired of it! I can shoot practice and still enjoy trapshooting.

 

I've heard the same news that the MOU is now for 2 or 3 weeks only. I've also read that the SCTP has a contract for 2017 with the IDNR so if the ATA signs a contract to run Sparta after this year and the IDNR bails on the WRCS (if this year does happen?) the SCTP contract with the IDNR wouldn't be any good, The SCTP would have to negotiate a new contract with the ATA's EC for 2017 or beyond then.

As far as the SCTP and the Cardinal Center having a only one year deal I think that is best. One thing I know for sure is that if the SCTP and their kids aren't happy at the CC Jack wouldn't want to hold them hostage, he wants the CC to be the place that shooters want to come to not the place they have to. I will bet that once the families, coaches, and kids get to see the Cardinal Center in operation they will know what the best place is.

Anyway you slice it though this summer around the CC will be busy and fun. I think Luke and the boys have done a good thing and a great job getting the SCTP teams a for sure spot for 2016 and those teams are in for a treat, they will find out why the shooters that shoot at the CC talk so highly of the place.

I talked to Jake today and he told me that the CC facebook page had had 6800 views since the SCTP announced the move on Wednesday and also many inquiries about camping.

Brad

 

Leonidas.....Was there a vote taken by the port authority there to do that? I do not recall that.

 

Just bury the place already. Sparta was dead before the first shot.

 

MOU for 3 weeks? What a JOKE!

You wonder what the rest of the trapshooters think about that?

But this is sometimes not about the trapshooters. It is much about the next 4 guys in line to get their free $20,000 gun or Pull 2012.

Kudos to Jack Fishburn for helping the SCTP. The kids will enjoy the place.

 

Whatever obligation SCTP had with the state went out the window when the complex was shut down. as I see it.

 

I believe the first reason to vacate Vandalia was the expansion of DHL, well that fell down when DHL filed bankruptcy
so airport had another idea for a garage. I don't think anything was built in the trapshooting area at Vandalia

GB.............................DLS

 

If the State of Illinois had any real intention of being involved they could of struck a deal at the infamous meeting of the posted video ... The State cannot be held accountable for the initial lease so to not complicate matters they made the choice to say nothing and push it to after 04-15-16 , they said for legal reasons ... The given date will only put pressure on the ATA if there is going to be a grand in Sparta being as time will be getting short by then and they will be more desperate to make a deal ... This way the State can say this is it, take it or leave it and guess what ..? The ATA has essentially put itself in the cross hairs with the State of Illinois's finger on the trigger ... "Deal or No Deal" what do you want to do ..? WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

I will venture a guess that come April 15th there will be a "Miraculous" over night agreement made by the ATA and IDNR.

Just remember, they are NOT allowed to negotiate before April 15th....Gee these two will negotiate real quick. We'll see if they do come to terms.

If no terms are agreed to, the next step will be some private organization putting in a purchase offer on the complex..

I have that gut feeling this is the way it will work out. Perhaps not in time for this year, but it will be saved by someone.

 

What will they end up with? Vendors are still waiting and wondering and it's pretty likely they will lose a number of the big vendors. The campsites are not filling up as they did in the past. This will surely be the smallest grand in many years. The ATA is at a real important time and there action from here on will be very important regarding the future. They had better do some real thinking about the long term and not focus on throwing everything away just to make sure they do something short term that turns out to be more destructive.

 

I think you're going to see a bunch of useless information battered around over the next three months then in May the shoe will drop. There will be an announcement around the beginning of May and I don't think it's going to be anything the Kool Aid drinkers are going to like. It's funny watching them declare everything's settled. The Grands going to be held in Sparta for sure. The shooters are going to attend in big numbers and etc.. Get ready, it may not take until May but with the bad information currently out there I think a lot of shooters are going to be caught off guard. The MOU is already undergoing a change to the three weeks the ATA now wants but probably won't mean a damned thing. The sponsors are not committing. The campsites are open and available. The words already out that the ATA is once again considering a multiple location Grand. Today the odds are probably no better than 50/50 the Grands in Sparta and that number will be zero but May. Now let's see if I'm right. Just another thought, who or why would anyone invest in a remote location that has proven to be damned near impossible to work?

 

I've viewed a copy of the actual signed MOU, looks a lot like m i c k e y M O U se club to me. Has the IDNR or ATA posted it yet? If they haven't maybe one of Merlo's spies will get him a copy, if he doesn't already have one. I'd guess by tomorrow He'd be calling in from under the overpass.

 

I thought in the end of the video posted that they were handing out copies of the MOU, though I have not seen one anywhere posted, as of yet.

 

Excellent observation jhunts. I wonder if any of the Delegates were provided with a copy of the MOU?

 

Since when would they care?