Carson High School rifle range gets insurance, to reopen to clubs

During the last eight months, Carson City Rifle and Pistol Club members have wondered whether they would ever be able to use the range they helped build nearly 20 years ago.

"It's been a long, long ordeal," said Chris Hill, vice president of the club. The range has been closed to groups other than the school's Reserve Officer Training Corps for the past eight months.

The ordeal was settled at Tuesday's school board meeting when the board chose Nevada Pool, a cooperative insurance company, as the district's insurance carrier.

The district's former carrier, Coregis, a Chicago-based company, discontinued coverage of the high school's rifle range in October declaring the risk to be too high.

Nevada Pool will provide $10 million in liability coverage compared with the $6 million provided by Coregis. Coverage of the rifle range will also be included in Nevada Pool's policy.

Mike Mitchell, director of operations for the district, said the next step will be to work out a system with Carson High School Principal Glen Adair to monitor the use of the range and increase security.

However, he said he expects the restrictions will not be too limiting to gun clubs.

"I think we'll run the rifle range much the same as we have for the past 20 years," Mitchell said. "We've had no problem with it."

Hill said the club is anxious to shoot again.

"It's going to give us the ability to to recreate again," he said. "We're going to be able to shoot and we can train our juniors in safe firearm handling. We add something to the community."

Mitchell said he also recommended Nevada Pool because the district wanted to include flood and earthquake coverage this year.

Although the premium for Coregis was less at $166,296, the company would have also charged nearly $40,000 more for earthquake and flood insurance.

Nevada Pool's premium is $179,332 with earthquake and flood coverage included.

"We were anxious to get coverage for that," Mitchell said.

Mitchell said he expects the details to be worked out by August and the outside gun clubs will be able to retain use of the facility then.

Hill said he is pleased with the decision.

"It shows that the school board really does care about the community members," he said. "It's a real positive sign when elected officials listen to their constituents."

Also at the meeting:

-- The board approved a $98,320 salary for superintendent Jim Parry. Parry, like all other administrators who have served nine or more years in the district, received a 3. 89 percent raise this year.

In previous years, district employees received the pay increase every year until their ninth year, then topped out. This year, the board approved a 1.75 percent salary increase for all district employees.

The administrators voted to apply the 1.75 percent increase to fund a ninth-year raise. The teachers voted to make the raise retroactive to October, making it a 2 percent increase, and the classified employees voted to take the 1.75 percent raise throughout the year.

School Board Trustee Bob Crowell said Parry deserved the raise.

"I think he's done an excellent job," said Crowell. "He's been a marvelous asset to this district."

-- The board adopted a resolution to place an $18 million bond issue on the ballot for the Nov. 7 ballot.

-- The board approved various funds to augment the 1999-2000 budget including a donation from the Bently Nevada Corp. to replace a damaged bus.