A newly approved rifle and and trap-shooting range in Meeker County has sparked controversy.
At its regular meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 7, the Meeker County Board of Commissioners approved a conditional use permit for the Eden Valley Sportsman’s Club to establish a shooting range in Manannah Township.
The shooting range on 380th Street, south of Eden Valley, will feature a 300-yard rifle range, a 50-yard handgun range and two storage buildings. Property owner Steven Schmitt said the new range, situated on a 31-acre parcel of land, will also provide a field for club members to trap shoot.
The range will be open from 10 a.m. to a half-hour before sunset, year-round, and closed holidays, according to the permit application.
At a July 31 meeting, the county planning commission, on a 5-1 vote, with commission members Greg Jans, Hempel, Johnson, Anderson and Euerle approving and Piepenburg opposing, had recommended approval to the county board.
At the Aug. 7 meeting, a group of residents of the area where the range is to located voiced strong opposition to the shooting range, emphasizing their concerns about safety, damage to wildlife and the environment, and the possible lowering of adjacent property value.
One member in protest, Lisa Thielen, presented a heated and detailed summation of the group's opposition. She stressed that action should be delayed until the project was studied further.
The board’s approval of the conditional use permit was unanimous, with Commissioner Larson moving for approval with a second from Commissioner Pat Tacheny.
Conditions of the permit, valid for 10 years, include:
- Gating and locking the range to prevent unauthorized access,
- having someone with gun safety credentials on site during operation,
- using only steel shot (lighter than lead shot) for trap shooting,
- abiding by a general gun range safety plan,
- and complying with state noise standards, rules and regulations.
The range will be inspected by the county zoning office at least once every three years, with the first inspection set for 2021. The club will be responsible for the $150 inspection fee.
The Eden Valley Sportsman's Club has another shooting range north of Eden Valley. Clay target leagues from both Eden-Valley Watkins and Litchfield high schools use range.
CHILD SUPPORT COLLECTIONS
Paul Bukovich, county social services director, presented statistics on child support collections in the county. He noted that the child support system provides services to locate parents, establish paternity, establish and modify court orders for basic medical and child support needs, and enforce court orders.
The program has resulted in collections of just under $3 million in the most recent year, with a case load of 904 with 4.8 full-time workers. Buckovich noted that the child support program can be very contentious at times and that the county's child support collection, based on population, exceeds national standards. He added that about 75 percent of the costs involved come from federal sources.
IN PERSONNEL-RELATED ACTION:
- The board accepted the resignation of correctional officer Candi Vought.
- The board moved part-time corrections officer Ryan Jax to full-time status.
- The board approved hiring Jaqueline Fogal as an assistant county attorney. She will receive $33.23 per hour.
- The board approved hiring Allen Porochka as a maintenance foreperson in the Kingston area Kingston area. He will receive $19.18 per hour.
IN OTHER BUSINESS:
- Commissioners approved a request from Phillip Schmalz, county highway engineer, to sell the Cosmos salt shed to the city of Cosmos and to make plans for the construction of a replacement shelter.
- Bobbie Bauman, director of the animal shelter that serves Meeker and Kandiyohi counties, reported that in the past year, more than 1,800 stray animals have been picked up, including 1,000 cats. She had Meeker and Kandiyohi counties have an unusually good working relationship.
- The board approved a livestock feed lot expansion for the hog operation of Bergstrom Farms near Grove City.
- The board approved a permit for RU-BE Dairy LLC to construct a new 7.47-million-gallon, earthen-lined manure basin in Danielson Township to provide more than 12 months manure storage for a Class B feedlot.
