Davison County panel denies permit for city's gun range after flood of nearby residents oppose location

Sep. 5—MITCHELL — The city of Mitchell's plan to build a gun range on the former Kelley property has sparked a flood of opposition among nearby residents who echoed their concerns of the proposed location Tuesday night during a jam-packed Davison County Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.

After it was revealed 70 residents who attended the meeting were against the location of the gun range while 16 were in favor, the county's Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously denied the city of Mitchell's conditional use permit that's required for the project to materialize. The planning and zoning commission's decision is a recommendation for the Davison County Commission to consider when the governing body meets in late September to decide the fate of the gun range permit.

The permit for the proposed $1.8 million gun range that the city is seeking to build on a portion of the former Kelley property west of Mitchell drew nearly 100 Mitchell area residents to Tuesday's meeting, with a vast majority of them speaking against the project location. Noise from gun shots, security oversight and environmental impacts were shared concerns from many residents who spoke.

As a nearby property owner who is raising children at her home less than a mile from the proposed project site, an emotional Shirley Thompson voiced her concerns over safety.

"I am scared about letting my kids go in the yard where my kids are riding horses and playing with our animals," Thompson said of her concerns of bullets potentially escaping the gun range bays. "I understand we need a pace for people to go and get safe instructions but please don't do it within 850 yards where my kids are trying to ride their horses. We jog up and down that road and kayak on the creek."

Tom Starr, who recently built a home near the proposed gun range site, said there is "too much to lose, and not enough to gain" from the project.

"I value my peace and quiet. I worked 43 years so I can afford to build this house, and I can't sit out on the deck during the day?" Starr said.

Among the few supporters who spoke was Lori Volk, who urged the group in opposition to be "more open minded" about the project and acknowledge what a public outdoor gun range could bring to the area.

"If we open up a range and provide safety, security and training, we can actually promote the future of guns instead of canceling them all together. I would rather give my children somewhere safe than just letting them go with their friends and shoot. A car is no different and no less safe than a gun," Volk said.

Preliminary designs of the gun range show the proposed location is on the east side of the former Kelley property that the city of Mitchell acquired in 2019. The site abuts 406th Avenue and sits in between 250th and 249th streets.

A pair of city officials provided information during Tuesday's meeting about the gun range's security measures, design layout and noise from gun shots.

"The proposed site would be considered an all-enclosed site, which means a bullet could not leave the site," Public Works Director Joe Schroeder said, noting the city's design mimics Watertown's outdoor gun range.

The design shows the entrance into the gun range would connect to 406th Avenue — a gravel road. Bays used for shooting would be situated on the field extending west of 406th Avenue away from the nearby residential homes east of the gravel road.

A 600-yard bay with five lanes would be the longest portion of the gun range. In addition, the range would feature 100-, 200- and 300-yard bays. The shortest bay would stretch 50 yards.

City Planner Mark Jenniges visited the Watertown gun range and said the decibels from the gun shots standing near a berm were comparable to a semi driving. Jenniges and Schroeder explained the city explored other locations, but the portion of the Kelley property emerged as the most ideal site.

Owner and founder of Boyd's Gunstocks Randy Boyd pointed to the myriad of safety concerns he has with the gun range being monitored by cameras without on-site personnel and urged the commission members to deny the permit.

Although city officials say the roughly 14-foot high berms and other design elements will eliminate bullets from leaving the site, Boyd disagreed.

"It didn't take me long to say I oppose it. This is a 50-lane range that would be used by people who will be shooting for the first time. And it will be monitored by cameras," Boyd said, claiming an Automatic Rifle bullet can travel up to 2.2 miles. "You will not contain every bullet in that range."

When the city sold the $1.59 million home on the Kelley property in 2022, Loren Van Overschelde, a longtime nearby resident, stood against the large home that was once occupied by a Mitchell couple transforming into a wedding and event venue. A major factor behind his opposition to the home becoming a wedding venue was the influx in traffic and noise that could result from the change.

Adding a gun range to the mix sparked a new concern for Van Overschelde relating to its impact on the environment and nearby Firesteel Creek that drains into Lake Mitchell. He questioned whether the city could contain the lead from bullets seeping into nearby Firesteel Creek.

"It's taken me 35 years to build up what I've had. I've done that for my children and my grandchildren. Why would our city leaders choose to divide a community like this?" Van Overschelde questioned.

From the perspective of a real estate agent, Chuck Mauszycki Jr. said gun ranges near properties have been shown to have a major negative impact on them when selling. Mauszycki Jr. said gun ranges rank right behind nuclear power plants as things that stigmatize homes, which he explained dramatically affects a home's surroundings.

"I represent hundreds of buyers and sellers out there, and many of them in the last week are talking about buying a lot (near the gun range) but not anymore," he said. "Once it's done, it's done."

Several letters were submitted to the county Planning and Zoning Commission ahead of Tuesday's meeting. Of the letters received, four were opposed and one in favor.

Matt Doerr, who resides near the proposed gun range, penned a letter in opposition of the permit and asked county and city officials whether they would like to live next to a shooting range that operates year-round from dusk until dawn? Doerr also addressed concerns of the project's environmental impact

Mitchell resident Wade Musick explained in his letter that he "loves the idea" of a local shooting range, but he wrote the proposed location is not suitable due to the houses "all around" the area. Musick also noted his concerns of the noise, claiming rifle shooting ranges "can be heard over 5 miles away."

Jerry Axsom, of Mitchell, was among the project supporters, who submitted a letter stating, "This type of recreation is long overdue for the residents of Mitchell."

While a convincing majority of the residents who spoke Tuesday night stood opposed to the project location, there was some common ground between project advocates and opposition. Nearly everyone who spoke during the lengthy meeting agreed a gun range like the city is seeking to build is needed. But the proposed location remains subject to dispute.