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Messages - zero10
151
« on: February 29, 2016, 11:01:22 PM »
Facility address: 888 Nakoda Way, Kananaskis, AB T0L 1N0 Physical Attributes: A paved lot that has been used for autocross previously Number of cars supported: 75 - lot is approximately 200mx60m in size Cost: Previously "free" although attendees had to buy lunch at their facility. They have recently decided this is too much trouble to be worth it for them. Site Concerns: Not sure Contact Person: Unknown Current Status: NegativePrimary Objection: Autocross events are run during their peak season and there is not enough parking Recommended Action: - Wait patiently. They were very nice to interact with and seem very receptive to the idea of holding events there however the space is simply not available. There was a suggestion that some construction might take place in the next year which will add a significant amount of pavement to the area. I was asked to revisit this idea in 2017
History:I heard about this facility through the Corvettes Unlimited Club of Calgary. If we want to move forward in any way with this facility we should involve them. I was told they were previously allowed to run here but at some point the people running the resort decided it was too much trouble to close down the lot Saturday night, and that there were frequently cars left over on Sunday such that they would have to design the course around the leftover cars. It seems like it might be a good place to run but there is probably some patching up to do with the management there and some additional arrangements that will need to be taken to ensure the site is clear for use. That said, I also have no idea how big their parking lot is! It was also mentioned that the tribe (is that the right term?) would be willing to lease land to the Corvettes Unlimited Club for them to pave their own parking lot - maybe if we banded together a couple of clubs this might be an option?? It turns out the CSCC has also run a rally using their lot for tow vehicles and such, and so the CSCC is also on good terms with them as a venue. Unfortunately they are too busy in the summer to be able to dedicate a lot to us and we will have to wait until they are able to expand in the future to see if we can find the space to hold events here.
152
« on: February 29, 2016, 10:55:21 PM »
Facility address: 18011 Spruce Meadows Way SW RR 9 LCD 8, Calgary, AB T2J 5G5 Physical Attributes: 2 lots - Lot 1: 110m x 110m
- Lot 2: 160m x 60m
Number of cars supported: 100? Cost: Rumoured to be $3500/day Site Concerns: - Horses: I've been told people stable their horses here and car noise might upset them
Contact Person: Unknown Current Status: NegativePrimary Objection: No contact person or clear avenue to book the facility Recommended Action: - Locate Owner / responsible party
- We need a sympathetic person at Spruce Meadows to make initial contact with. It seems probable that reaching out to them directly will be met with resistance, although in the absence of a known sympathizer we should try this
History:I have had this site recommended to me by several people. The cost seems almost prohibitively high (I suspect it would be $100/person to hold an event here) and a couple people have mentioned that Spruce Meadows may have an agreement with Chevrolet and/or Mercedes-Benz and that might complicate their ability to book the facility for a motorsport event. We need to find a way to make them want to rent the facility to us before we will have any luck here. Ideas?? Spruce Meadows has 2 lots that look very well suites for our needs. I think the south lot (the nearly square one) would be the best although perhaps we could rent both lots at different times to mix things up. This also looks like an excellent location to hold a school or educational event.
153
« on: February 29, 2016, 10:48:39 PM »
Facility address: 260199 High Plains Blvd, Range Rd 291, Balzac, AB T4A 0P9 Physical Attributes: Rectangular lot 325m x 160m Number of cars supported: LOTS!! 200? Cost: Unknown Site Concerns: - Mixed surface: The road surface alternates between concrete and asphalt. This could pose some challenges
- Lack of facilities: The building would be locked on the weekend and we would need to provide a washroom for people attending our event
Contact Person: Unknown (Sobeys currently owns the facility) Current Status: UnknownPrimary Objection: Lack of clear ownership or responsibility for the property Recommended Action: - Locate Owner / responsible party
- Attend site on a weekday during business hours. Speaking with on-site security on a weekend they said that people were in the office on weekdays and somebody there could tell us more about whether it would be available to rent
- Contact Sobeys: Perhaps somebody in the admin / property arm of their business could tell us more?
History:This site was originally constructed for Target's Canada branch - we all know how that turned out. I tried reaching out to the bankruptcy trustee and was met with no response at all every time. Some time later I swung by the site and spoke with a security guard on site (unfortunately on a Sunday since I was already in the area) and he mentioned that there was generally office staff in the building on weekdays who I could speak to about renting the facility. He confirmed Sobeys had bought the facility and was looking to put it to use in the near future but did not know a timeline for this. I tried visiting the front gate even though it was Sunday and it was locked, nobody came outside although there were a couple cars in the parking lot
154
« on: February 29, 2016, 10:40:43 PM »
Facility address: 5727 23 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2B 3E2 Physical Attributes: Rectangular lot 70m x 90m with an extension of 25m x 60m at the east end Number of cars supported: 75? Cost: $1000/day (negotiable if we're renting for 2-day weekends or a large number of days) Site Concerns: - FIRE HYDRANTS!!!! There are NUMEROUS fire hydrants surrounding the lot, course design MUST take these into account.
- Lack of facilities: The building would be locked on the weekend and we would need to provide a washroom for people attending our event
- Lack of parking: It will be difficult to arrange a grid or have sufficient parking for cars and tow vehicles. The surrounding road is owned by the Calgary Police, not the Fire Department, and we would not be permitted to park on it or use it
Contact Person: Daniel (Dan) Heney Current Status: NegativePrimary Objection: Unspecified "risk". When pressed for details Dan said it was no one thing, that he was generally sympathetic for what we are trying to accomplish but that management had decided it was not a risk they could take Recommended Action: - Political lobbying
- Andre Chabot - Work to get Andre Chabot (the area Alderman) on our side and see if he can help us along in any way
- Naheed Nenshi - If we can get the mayor on our side maybe we've got a chance!
- Fire Chief - I'm not sure who this is, but I have unofficially been told that the Corvettes Unlimited Club used to use this facility until a change in Fire Chiefs a couple years back ended their use of the lot
- Try asking again nicely, stay in contact with Dan - I try to send him an email every month or so reminding him that we're still interested and hoping he will be able to get the decision changed
History:I initially reached out to the Fire Training Academy in late November 2015, speaking with (I can't remember her name) the reaction was initially very positive, she said they would be happy to show me the facility, I attended the site for a visit just as fast as my bike would get me there. On site she said she had no idea why they didn't already run events like this, that she thought it was a great idea and that when Dan was back on Monday I should call him to arrange everything. I was shown the grounds by another staff member whose name I can't recall, he also seemed completely on-board with the idea and was wondering as well why I was the first person to ask. They also both mentioned that the facility is generally not used at all on weekends and that even some weeknights might be available if we wanted. An initial phone call to Dan Heney on the Monday was met with a firm "NO", that he has spoken to me before (impossible) or "someone like me" and that whenever groups like mine call the answer is always no. I didn't argue with him, apologized for wasting his time and ended the call. Later that night I wrote him a big long email outlining the history of the CSCC, our not-for-profit status and what our club stands for, as well as our history with venues, the insurance we cover and described the sport of Autoslalom in great detail. He responded with a (paraphrased) "We'll think about it". It took until the new year to get a "no" from them, he says that there was extensive discussion with management but they decided they cannot accept the risk of having us run there. As I understand they are the only training facility in the area, all fire fighters in Calgary and surrounding area must train there regularly to remain certified, and any interruptions to this could compromise that and potentially put lives at risk. This sounds dire I agree, but I feel like there must be some middle ground here. I think the worst damage we could do to the facility would be to break a fire hydrant or damage the chain link fence, and there must be something we can do such that in the event of such an incident they could continue training by Monday morning.
155
« on: February 29, 2016, 10:19:55 PM »
When CSCC canceled the remaining ice dice events it seemed odd that the SASC was not on the same page as the CSCC in terms of their ice assessment. I was just looking for some clarity on the issue and Reijo was quick to respond with his assessment.
From an outside perspective I could see some people having an issue with CSCC and SASC being on different pages on the issue of safety. One club believes it is safe while another has chosen to cancel their remaining events. We all want to have fun and be safe, I think it is important that both clubs stand together on these matters.
I'm hesitant to speak for Chris G but I'm under the impression only event #3 has been cancelled at this point.
156
« on: February 29, 2016, 10:18:19 PM »
I was under the impression the WCMA was years away from taking over administratively when it comes to arranging venues? I'm all for having more help with securing venues I just want to be clear on what I should expect  Also, by chance are most people who would be in on this meeting located in Calgary? If so we could probably arrange use of the CSCC clubhouse, it's mostly unused and really I'm just looking for an excuse to help increase the utilization!
157
« on: February 28, 2016, 09:56:04 AM »
Apexcone - I totally agree about putting together a meeting to strategize how to ensure continued access to venues while potentially allowing some shared use of the facilities. The CSCC has a club meeting March 3, this coming Thursday, I've already got a few things to talk about for autoslalom, I'll bring this up as well.
158
« on: February 28, 2016, 09:43:57 AM »
Calgary venue would sure be nice
I found a great lot on Googlemaps recently... giant lot, far away from everything, and looks like it doesn't get much use
Go to googlemaps and type in "Eleven Points Logsitics", then flip it to Earth and the lot is just to the SW of the pin
Was doing some research... this is why such a massive lot isn't used
I was also working on trying to secure this facility - for a while it was lost in lawyer land, nobody would answer my phone calls or respond to my emails, visiting the site just led to confused security guards and no useful information. At some point in the last month or two Sobeys seems to have acquired the building, at least now there is a name to it. The security guard told me to come back on a weekday (as I stopped by on a Sunday just to show the facility to my wife) because there would be people in the office that I could speak to about renting the place, but that Sobeys owns it now and he thinks they want to start using it as quickly as possible. I think this facility deserves another look but it's likely a very short time before it's in operation so we should do what we can before it's gone.
159
« on: February 27, 2016, 09:54:53 PM »
I don't think it is quite fair to say that RDSCC has 3 lots and the rest of the clubs have nothing - the CSCC presently has almost equal use of the lot at Westerner Park.
Aside from that minor detail I agree with your sentiment - we are perpetually at risk of losing any venue and with only one left the consequences of that are dire - this means we need to take action. In the same thought however, I want to emphasize the need for caution. The RDSCC has managed to secure access to 3 venues during times when every other club is losing theirs. I imagine that it would be all too easy for them to look at the situation and see our clubs as the problem and refuse to share.
If we want to press them to share their venues I would imagine it will involve some give and take.
I am under the impression that the community surrounding the church parking lot is less than thrilled with the noise and commotion taking place there (even though some of what they might be upset about is not even related to autoslalom). Something needs to be done to ensure the surrounding residents see these activities in a favourable manner. They need to be able to identify the activities our clubs are holding there and differentiate them from other sorts of activity. We need to take measures to ensure that they recognize our clubs as legitimate entities holding safe and educational events that act in the best interests of people from their communities. They need an avenue to voice their concerns and to feel like they are being respected.
As for Penhold airport, I'm under the impression they are getting less willing to rent the facility as the years go by but I have no idea why that is. If any push is to be made there we need to understand the concerns and make sure to address them properly.
While we're talking about venues, I would also like to open up some method of discussing and strategizing about potential Calgary venues but I'm not sure where to start. I don't quite feel like it is suitable for open-to-the-whole-world type discussion given some of the details, but it also requires the engagement of many people between our two clubs. While it could easily look like this is mostly the CSCC's problem and not necessarily for this forum we are all in this together. I have been investigating some potential venues and have quite a lot to share but also require a fair bit of help.
160
« on: February 26, 2016, 06:39:25 AM »
...
Sure would be nice to get the old Target distribution center in Balzac. Lost in lawyer land for now it seems. I'm sure we'd cover the property taxes so you'd think there was some incentive in that alone. That facility will sit there empty for years in this economy.
That was true for quite a while (as evidenced by a dozen or so unreturned phone calls and many lost emails) but it seems to have changed recently. Out of desperation I drove by there about 2 weeks ago and stopped in to talk to the on-site security guards. They said there was some office staff there on week days and that might be the best way to reach them. There is an entrance gate on the east side of the building (drive around the south side of the building to get to it) and he said that was the best way to reach them. It was also mentioned that the building has been sold to Sobeys and would become their distribution center shortly. On top of that, I've talked to another club who has been trying to get a hold of them and has not yet been successful, although I believe they have not yet tried physically knocking on the door. It sounds like Sobeys is in a hurry to start using the facility but likely changes in the supply chain on this scale will take some time. Maybe we could get 2-3 events in there during April/May if they would let us? The lot looks to be about 500m long with only a handful of lights scattered through the middle with very few other obstacles. The concrete/asphalt mix would present some interesting traction challenges but that is hardly a deal breaker.
161
« on: February 25, 2016, 02:54:49 PM »
I personally spent over $800 in Fort Macleod last season, I'd hate to have to add them to the list of towns not to do business with in the future.
I personally paid $116 to the police of Fort MacLeod on a previous trip  Seriously though, I do always buy lunch and fill up while I'm there as well. Some events there are 50+ cars there, plus tow vehicles plus some spectators, it adds up!
162
« on: February 19, 2016, 11:20:32 AM »
In an effort to keep a joint championship possible I think I avoided all of the proposed Fort Macleod dates, but I did schedule a couple events on days where I know there are major US events. It was either overlap with them or have a shorter season than I would be happy with. To help reduce the frustration with that decision I am considering running those as practice or alternate format events to mix things up a little.
I'm not yet ready to release a schedule because I am working on clarifying a few key points with Westerner Park and on deciding whether to keep one of the days that seems particularly troublesome. Not counting that day I have 8 days at westerner on my preliminary schedule including one 2-day weekend. Hopefully in the two weeks I'll have something final to put forward.
163
« on: February 18, 2016, 03:22:59 PM »
Thanks for the update - ignore my last email, this is the answer I was looking for Hopefully everything gets approved as is!
164
« on: November 19, 2015, 03:18:53 PM »
Ugh another blow to STF. I'm going back to HS for next year. I should have run that this year anyway but decided to stay stubborn and keep my camber adjustment. For a 0.011 difference between HS and STF I'll give up the camber, it wasn't giving me any time or saving nearly as much tire wear as I was hoping.
165
« on: November 15, 2015, 09:08:24 PM »
Hi guys - I'm mostly here just to spy on this thread but maybe I should also throw in my opinions. I think you should perhaps keep the test and tune for the first (and MAYBE second) saturday of the year but should pursue an alternate format for the rest of them.
I really like the idea of running some team events - but care needs to be taken to prevent crushing the spirits of those new to the sport. I think the idea of encouraging (or possibly mandating) newbie ride-alongs with the more experienced members of the group is a good one, perhaps we also need to loosen up the rules around scoring and drivers of cars - allow the more experienced competitors to take the newbies for a ride in their own car. Also perhaps the scoring could be done differently, instead of a fastest morning + fastest afternoon the teams could be ranked by their relative improvement? It seems initially unfair since afternoon runs are typically faster on account of the road conditions improving but if we change up the run order in the afternoon it would level the playing field a bit, or maybe that is totally unnecessary.
I don't know if that is leaning too hard on the more experienced people but I feel like it might be the sort of thing that helps reduce frustration with newcomers and helps get them up to speed a little bit more quickly.
I also really like the reasonably priced car challenge but I think that is the sort of event that caters mostly to the more experienced members of the group. It almost sounds like it might be best suited to a shortened day, like an evening event. Those complaints aside it sounds like good fun and I'd really like to remove the car from the equation when comparing myself to other drivers.
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