Help save our Radio Control Club please!

Hello,

My name is Pat Carnahan, and I am a member of Merced County Radio Control Club.

https://www.flymcrcc.com/

Our club has had an unfortunate set of circumstances befall our club! An energy company decided to build solar panels adjacent to our flying field, and in order to keep our location, our club must flip the entire orientation of our field and facilities.

Our predicament started last year, when an energy company offered a "power purchase agreement" to our local municipality, and thus they began construction of solar panels on the land right underneath our flying area. While we totally understand the needs for more clean energy in our community, we did not expect the land adjacent to our flying field would be selected for the installation of a solar panel array. Unfortunately the energy company does not want us flying over their solar panels, which we can understand.

Our club has been active for 45 years at our location, and we have an active membership of seniors, kids, veterans, and everyone in-between. We were told by our local city that our club would sadly come to an end due to the presence of these new solar panels. However we refused to be shut down without a fight, and thus we worked with the city, and the energy company to help find a solution for the past 9 months, and finally were recently offered the ability to keep our field - on the condition that we flip our entire field around and fly over the farmlands behind our field.

At first, this seems like an easy task, but our club will need to grade and compact land, pour asphalt and concrete for our staging area and taxiways, as well as move all of our shading, tables, and small clubhouse to the other side of the runway. Since we are a not-for-profit club, we don't really have the financial resources to meet the requirements to flip our flying field around, and meet the contingency set by the city in order to keep our club.

If you can find it in your heart to help our club meet our financial goals so that we can afford to move our flying facilities from one side of our runway to the other side, then we will meet the city's requirements for keeping our club and field.

Our club is community-oriented, with a family friendly environment - where kids and adults can enjoy the outside space and fly our model aircraft. Our field is a social meeting place for many of our members to relax and see friends regularly. We are airplane enthusiasts, and enjoy the history of aviation and fligt.

If we can raise enough money to move our club's facilities around, then we can keep our field. Your funds will go to the movement of our field; specifically the grading & compacting of land, the creation of a new dirt road to the far side of our field, pouring of concrete and asphalt for our airplane prep area and taxiways, the moving of our metal shade structures, and relocation of our club airplane stands, tables, bbq, and equipment to the other side of our runway.

We pray that our club is able to stay open another 45 years, and allow future generations to enjoy the great outdoors through the spirit of aviation, radio control model building, and friendly comradery.

For us, ever donation counts. Thank you so much for your support. We really apprecaite it!