Atterbury housing

I’m not sure exactly who at the NRA to direct my concerns to, but there was a problem last year, and apparently it is even worse this year regarding housing at Atterbury.  
     The first year the matches were at Atterbury I was able to reserve a camping spot for my RV.  It wasn’t a very good one.  No shade at all as it appears that anything near trees was being taken up by long term residents/retirees.  
     Last year I got a better space, and the RV Park didn’t look full.   Price is also very reasonable compared to the RV park at Perry.  
   However I travel with friends. I like them very much, but  I have no desire to share my small camper with any of them for a week.   The first year, both my friends were able to get a BOQ room on post  for a reasonable price, and all was well.   Last year one of my friends booked ahead and got one, and the other ended up staying in a tent next to my trailer.   This year, no one has been able to get a BOQ at Atterbury, and so no one is going to enter and take a chance on having to spend a hundred and fifty dollars a night for a hotel room far away from post.   It really destroys our ability to car pool and keep the costs down. Needless to say, if my friends can’t get housing, I won’t be going either, which will reduce the match numbers even further.  

Does anyone know why the NRA didn’t reserve a block of competitor housing at Atterbury or is there some disconnect because the housing office doesn’t realize that people wanting to book a room are there for the National matches?
    I would really appreciate someone with connections to the competition division at the NRA to look into this.   Thanks,  Kate

I used the Atterbury RV park last year too - whilst there are few trees and no shade it didn't actually matter because it was quite windy the whole time and I did not even extend the awning for fear of it being blown away.

The first year I was able to get one of the hotel rooms - very good - but a lot of other military groups visit Atterbury for training, etc., and those rooms are in demand.

I called the lodging office a month ago to try to reserve an RV spot - was told to call back at the beginning of May - not very helpful, but, to be fair, Perry is not much better!

RoyDean wrote:
The first year I was able to get one of the hotel rooms - very good - but a lot of other military groups visit Atterbury for training, etc., and those rooms are in demand 

Precisely, which is exactly why the calendar and lodging is cleared at Perry for National Match Participants.   The first year at Atterbury they only allowed me to book an RV space early because I have a retired military ID card.   By the time of the match, they had gotten the word, and allowed match participants to book in the RV park.

Guys i am sorry to hear about the issues with Atterbury.  Being a retired National Guard guy, let me try to explain some things.  First off Camp Atterbury is a military training site.  That is its first and primary mission.  The use of base and maneuver grounds has very little to any effect of the use of ranges.  With this in mind the weapons ranges be they pistol, rifle, artillery and such do not affect the use of training areas.  The use of base facilities, training areas and ranges will always go to the military first.

ADDITIONAL INFO :  The major differences between Camp Perry and Camp Atterbury is ownership and funding.  Camp Perry is owned by the Indiana National Guard with its funding coming through the National Guard Bureau.  Camp Atterbury is only operated by the Indiana National Guard with funding from the federal government.  I know this may sound confusing and it is.  It all has to do with the "color" of the money!!!

Allen Barnett wrote:Guys i am sorry to hear about the issues with Atterbury.  Being a retired National Guard guy, let me try to explain some things.  First off Camp Atterbury is a military training site.  That is its first and primary mission.  The use of base and maneuver grounds has very little to any effect of the use of ranges.  With this in mind the weapons ranges be they pistol, rifle, artillery and such do not affect the use of training areas.  The use of base facilities, training areas and ranges will always go to the military first.

ADDITIONAL INFO :  The major differences between Camp Perry and Camp Atterbury is ownership and funding.  Camp Perry is owned by the Indiana National Guard with its funding coming through the National Guard Bureau.  Camp Atterbury is only operated by the Indiana National Guard with funding from the federal government.  I know this may sound confusing and it is.  It all has to do with the "color" of the money!!!

I’m well aware of these things.  However regardless of the color of the money, nothing I can think of would have kept the NRA from negotiating a housing agreement with Atterbury for the National matches,   Just the same as they apparently negotiated the construction of the Pistol range.  Just like what was done in Ohio.   If it reduces attendance at Atterbury down to the point that that match isn’t viable, will it matter then?  Or was this the long term goal?    (Retired contracting officer)

You might have just figured it out.

Something we have learned the last several years.

It is not a conspiracy theory anymore when it all turns out to be true.

Anybody still waiting for their medals, awards or trophies?

Anybody win one of those grand prize trucks or a sweepstakes prize gun?

Don't like Kool Aid anymore.

Darrell

It is my understanding that one reason housing on base this year is very limited is because of scheduled deployments, with about 4,000 extra folks needing a place while training and such.

That is Atterbury's primary mission.

Edinburgh and Columbus are nearby, and Indianapolis is only about 45 minutes away.  There seem to be a number of hotels along I-65 when I drive down from Indy, as well as various camping options.

Questions about the competition can be directed to comphelp@nrahq.com.  I've always gotten good responses from them, although I understand that has not always been the case.

If I find out more information, I'll post it.

I called to reserve a room in the bachelor officers quarters (or what ever they call it there) back in January and was told they are booked. The guy I spoke to said they have quite a busy summer with training. He suggested I call back in a month (and every month) to see if anything opens up. I did call back in February and got the same answer so I booked a room at a hotel in Edinburgh. The last two years it was easy to get those rooms so they must be busy this year.
As to the NRA, last year they did have a barracks reserved and you could rent a bed from them when you registered for the match.  They had a poor turnout for that first time so my guess is they ate a pretty good amount of money on that one.   They announced that they weren’t going to have housing this year probably because of last years experience. This year they would have rented more beds based on what we are hearing from the base housing office but who would have predicted that.  I have no idea what RV parks would cost in the area but the hotel room I got was fairly reasonable so I’m not complaining. I would still prefer to be on base just so I don’t have to drive back and forth but I stay off base at Perry and driving hasn’t been an inconvenience for me there.  

Hope to see you all there.

John

Another possibility on the lack of available housing, Camp Atterbury housed ~7200 Afghan refugees from Mid 2021 to 2022.
The base housing was not designed for extended stays and some was converted to provide other services to the refugees.

The Indiana National Guard has reported they need an additional 16 million for repairs.

I did notice some new work going on a month or two ago while driving by.


"In one case, training for the Indiana National Guard was relocated from Camp Atterbury to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, due to damages caused during “Operation Allies Welcome." 
Report: Afghan refugees caused $16 million in damage to Atterbury | wthr.com

When calling Camp Atterbury to book housing be sure to let them know you are participating in an "ISRPA shooting event on base". I was turned down on Apr. 3, but was able to book on Apr. 4 once I knew the key words they were looking for.

Good luck.

E-Parks wrote:When calling Camp Atterbury to book housing be sure to let them know you are participating in an "ISRPA shooting event on base". I was turned down on Apr. 3, but was able to book on Apr. 4 once I knew the key words they were looking for.

Good luck.

I didn’t use your magic phrase specifically but I did tell them I was going to be shooting in the NRA matches but that didn’t get me anywhere. 
I’ll call tomorrow and see what kind of answer I get.  

John

Just a heads up for the RV campers.
You may see some construction in the Johnson County Park RV area.

"The expanded Johnson County Park Campground will add 11 new sites. All the sites at the campground are for campers and RVs only, with water and electric hookups. 
The 11 new sites will be full hookups with water, electric and sewer, which is a new plus"
"Ten campsites will be added to Hoosier Horse Park, with just water and electric hookups."


Johnson County Park expanding campgrounds - Daily Journal

The NRA owns the Whittington Center shooting complex in Raton, NM. Move their Nationals there. Plenty of RV space or nearby motels in Raton. We would then have an East - West rivalry.

Only 40 firing points for turning targets at Raton and there's other ranges either side of that one. Would mean a lot of construction. In turn that would mean the NRA spending their own money. Nah - can't see that happening - they'd much rather screw over state national guards.

Wes Lorenz wrote:The NRA owns the Whittington Center shooting complex in Raton, NM. Move their Nationals there. Plenty of RV space or nearby motels in Raton. We would then have an East - West rivalry.

I had heard talk of this years ago but it was decided against because most of the population is East of the Mississippi River.  They determined that if it was moved that far West that attendance would suffer.  In hind sight attendance couldn't be much worse but these conversations happened long before the last few years so it does sound reasonable.  For me, Atterbury is an hour and half closer so I don't mind going there.  I hope it does succeed.

John

In seriousness, how's the weather in Raton in July? Last year looked like high 80s, low 90s. Covered firing points?

Dave

It varies between hot and very hot. It's also at 6000 ft+ so the UV is intense. We shoot the NM state match there in September and you need lots of sunscreen, water and a large brimmed hat if you don't want sunstroke.  Firing points are uncovered.  I really don't think it would be all that suitable - having said that I'd be there if they did it. It's about 14 hours closer for me.

straybrit wrote:It varies between hot and very hot. It's also at 6000 ft+ so the UV is intense. 

Atterbury sits at a comfortable 700 feet, give or take a foot.  (Comfortable for a Midwest flatlander like me, that is.)

Maybe I'm naive (it has been suggested before, eh), but if the bullseye community gets behind the Atterbury location, demonstrating that it can indeed draw numbers, then perhaps the competitive shooting division of the NRA might have a little more negotiating power.  It won't help with housing in years like this -- when there are larger than usual expected deployments and a nontrivial amount of housing has to be refurbished after housing Afghani refugees -- but it might make a difference going forward.

 “A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit." -- Greek proverb

straybrit wrote:It varies between hot and very hot. It's also at 6000 ft+ so the UV is intense. We shoot the NM state match there in September and you need lots of sunscreen, water and a large brimmed hat if you don't want sunstroke.  Firing points are uncovered.  I really don't think it would be all that suitable - having said that I'd be there if they did it. It's about 14 hours closer for me.

Sounds like Camp Perry less the coal dust  Raton is two days closer for me.