CAPE ELIZABETH — The Spurwink Rod and Gun Club met its deadline to submit a site plan and registration to the town, but still must provide more details to meet the requirements of a new shooting range ordinance.
Former gun club President Mark Mayone discussed the site plan Wednesday in a Firing Range Committee meeting at the Police Department. The plan was submitted July 10, 90 days after the ordinance went into effect.
The site plan is required to explain how the club would comply with shot containment and noise abatement rules developed after neighbors of the Sawyer Road club complained of excessive noise and safety concerns.
At the meeting, the committee went through the club’s registration papers to make sure it met the requirements of the ordinance.
“We had most of it in today,” Mayone said after Wednesday’s meeting. “There were other aspects the committee wanted more information on.”
According to Mayone, the club is still figuring out how to keep stray bullets and the sound of gunshots to a minimum. He said the shooting range is protected along two sides, so it is like “shooting down a corridor.” Three additional eight-foot-tall walls are also being constructed for shot containment, he said.
Mayone said the club plans to construct a baffle over the top of the area that will keep bullets from going up and out of the range.
“You won’t be able to see any sky,” Mayone said. “You can’t see the sky. You can’t shoot the sky.”
Several members of the public spoke Wednesday about excessive noise, saying that the issue has yet to be addressed. According to Mayone and members of the committee, a reasonable solution to reduce sound is still being developed.
Mayone said a lot of construction will be occurring at the club, which will probably have to be closed temporarily while construction takes place.
The gun club held a yard sale last weekend to raise money to help with the costs of meeting the ordinance requirements. Mayone said the yard sale, which consisted entirely of items donated by gun club members, raised more than $1,600, including donations.
To get a better sense of the work that needs to be done, the committee scheduled a public site walk at the gun club for Thursday, July 24, at 4 p.m.
The panel’s next meeting is Aug. 13 at 4 p.m.
Kate Gardner can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 125 or kgardner@theforecaster.net. Follow her on Twitter: @katevgardner.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.