Ohio 8/81 get together/ shoot off?

[45guy]

Just another crazy idea... If I can get the requisite permits for this summer, would anyone be interested in a BBQ, and shoot at our farm?

[rem81auto]

I would attend.

[imfuncity]

It would be great! When are you shooting for? I will be back East 1st part of June. (6.3.2011 our daughter's wedding in DC - for some reason she thinks I and the Obamanation can be in the same town together!!?! I'm not so sure.) Might be able to stay longer or come earlier. Your post is rather interesting, a couple of days ago I mentioned to the wife, it would be great to see John and family while we are back East.

[jack1653]

Howdy,

What time this summer are you considering? What part of Ohio would the event be held? It would be a little drive from Georgia, But I might try and make it.

Regards,

jack1653

[45guy]

We're located about 45 miles East of Cleveland right on the shores of lake Erie. Ifigure anytime we have warm weather would be great, but let's get a consensus on when the best time for all involved and I can start talking to the town council.

[DWalt]

You must be somewhere near Painesville. I lived there back in the 1960's, worked at the old Diamond Alkali plant at Fairport Harbor.

[imfuncity]

Looks to me like you live in the country, what am I missing in this picture: "requisite permits", "town council", ...? Are we going to blow something up? Way-COOL! Or are they scared of a bunch of geezer gun nuts coming into town? (Thought Metzenbaum died!)

[jack1653]

Mitch,

Any chance you would be swinging through the sunny south while you are out east? I think I saw you mention you had relatives in Alabama. Anyway, if you get close to the Atlanta area, let me know. I would like for you to run by and see some Remingtons.

Jack

[45guy]

Close DWalt... North Perry. On a side note, the super fund site that was the diamond alkali is now the next Love Canal... They built the grade up with about 12 feet of fill and are building luxury condos... The capped cess pools on the South side of the road have a planned golf course over them. The plant just east, still has the barbed wire and radiation hazard signs up, and the contaminated drums are still visible from the road!

[45guy]

Mitch, since they built the new school with funds from the nuke plant there has been an influx of yuppies. It's better t err on the side of caution if there will be multiple shooters.

[DWalt]

The Diamond was a nasty place back then, but I wasn't aware there was anything radioactive. The chrome chemicals plant on the south side of the highway was probably the major environmental hazard. Even though I worked mainly in the chlorine area, I had to go to the chrome plant occasionally and always tried avoiding it. I left there in 1970 to go back to OSU for a graduate degree, and never returned to Diamond afterward. I knew the Painesville works had been demolished and was a Superfund site, but I never knew any more than that, nor cared. I don't miss my experience there.

Of course, there was a lot of asbestos floating around in the air too. That's what they used as media on the chlorine cell cathodes. I still remember the guys ripping open large bags of asbestos with no respirators being worn, and asbestos fibers going everywhere. I think that was before anyone had even heard of mesothelioma.

By the way, Diamond's employee recreation association used to have a pretty good gun range closer to the Tech Center - It had a trap range, a 100 yard rifle range, and a pistol range. I don't remember exactly where it was (near Chardon maybe?), but I used to go there most every weekend. I wonder what happened to it?

[45guy]

Here's the link to te radiation hazards: http://www.epa.ohio.gov/portals/30/FFS/ ... nesium.pdf

Also I wonder if there is anything left of the old Lewisite facility...

[DWalt]

When I was at Diamond, the U.S. Rubber/Uniroyal facility was down the road, and Diamond had no involvement with it. I didn't know about any Lewisite production in the area, so that must have been well before my time. However, Diamond did operate a chlorine production facility at Edgewood Arsenal and may have had some war gas production involvement there. I had no connections to any Diamond production operations other than those at Painesville, and even there my world was principally, but not entirely, chlorine cell R&D work.

[imfuncity]

Let's see if we can't get move these guys out of "disaster city" and on to planning a paRRtttty

John, we get to OH the first part of June, I just may have to check out your shooting range - BBQ or not. Driving "all the way" across OH would be the distance of an afternoon picnic here.

Jack, we are way early in the planning stages (still choking on the 300/night hotel for the wedding!) appreciate the invite. Heading your way if are going to AL had in fact crossed my mind.

May have to consider some other options also. It seems that my idea of a wonderful, glorious, exciting gun-viewing-shooting-vacation isn't exactly creating warm fuzzes for my better-half ... wonder what's with that?