Knimrod
01-16-2006, 01:47 AM
Relatives of land donor want gun club site used as public park
1/15/2006
The Associated Press
ELK RAPIDS TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Grandchildren of a woman who died in 1948 and donated her land to the township for a public use want to evict a gun club that has been on the site for more than 50 years.
The grandchildren of Mina Wilcox want the land used by the Elk Rapids Sportsman's Club converted to a public park. But local officials are worried about who might pay for likely lead contamination at the Antrim County site.
Officials haven't yet done an environmental assessment, but it is practically inevitable that the property is laced with significant amounts of lead, township supervisor Bill White said.
"We know it's going to be an issue, but we really don't know how big," White told the Traverse City Record-Eagle for a Sunday story.
Lead contamination can occur in different ways at gun clubs. In pistol and short-firing ranges, shooters fire at targets backed by an earthen berm that catches the bullets. Skeet and trap shooting ranges deposit lead over a wider area. The gun club has both.
Township officials balked at evicting the gun club, and Wilcox's descendants sued to force the club from the property. Her surviving grandchildren say the township's $1-per-year lease with the gun club violates the public use agreement.
Local and state appellate judges ruled against the township and the case has been appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court.
Phil Schrantz, who heads the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality's Remediation and Redevelopment office in Lansing, said shooting ranges typically are responsible for conditions like lead contamination.
But White worries that taxpayers might have to foot the bill.
Club spokesman Brian Kroll said the club hired an environmental consultant to study the property in 2004. He declined to release the resulting report, citing advice from the club's attorney.
"We don't have running water nearby. We don't have immediate concerns," Kroll said.
Link to story (http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-31/1137346747216160.xml&storylist=newsmichigan)
1/15/2006
The Associated Press
ELK RAPIDS TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Grandchildren of a woman who died in 1948 and donated her land to the township for a public use want to evict a gun club that has been on the site for more than 50 years.
The grandchildren of Mina Wilcox want the land used by the Elk Rapids Sportsman's Club converted to a public park. But local officials are worried about who might pay for likely lead contamination at the Antrim County site.
Officials haven't yet done an environmental assessment, but it is practically inevitable that the property is laced with significant amounts of lead, township supervisor Bill White said.
"We know it's going to be an issue, but we really don't know how big," White told the Traverse City Record-Eagle for a Sunday story.
Lead contamination can occur in different ways at gun clubs. In pistol and short-firing ranges, shooters fire at targets backed by an earthen berm that catches the bullets. Skeet and trap shooting ranges deposit lead over a wider area. The gun club has both.
Township officials balked at evicting the gun club, and Wilcox's descendants sued to force the club from the property. Her surviving grandchildren say the township's $1-per-year lease with the gun club violates the public use agreement.
Local and state appellate judges ruled against the township and the case has been appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court.
Phil Schrantz, who heads the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality's Remediation and Redevelopment office in Lansing, said shooting ranges typically are responsible for conditions like lead contamination.
But White worries that taxpayers might have to foot the bill.
Club spokesman Brian Kroll said the club hired an environmental consultant to study the property in 2004. He declined to release the resulting report, citing advice from the club's attorney.
"We don't have running water nearby. We don't have immediate concerns," Kroll said.
Link to story (http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-31/1137346747216160.xml&storylist=newsmichigan)