Neighbours of the Pitt Meadows Gun Club say noise levels continue to be an issue since the club reopened in April.
The club had been closed since July 2017 because of complaints due to increased shooting at the site.
It is located at 17428 – 129th Ave. and has offered sport shotgun trap shooting since 1946.
Owners of the gun club and its neighbours are trying to come to an amicable agreement, a Good Neighbour Plan, regarding the club’s operations.
However, at the June 19 council meeting, Frank Vogel, representing residents of the neighbourhood, said that no further discussions with the club would resolve the outstanding issues and asked council to make a “fair and reasonable decision based on the information put forward over this past year.”
Issues include third party environmental monitoring and the number of special events held at the club.
Kristen Pitt, who lives along 129th Avenue said the decibel level from the club is too high and she is uncomfortable leaving her children outside while it operates, Wednesday evenings and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Sunday.
She said a lot of the problems with the club stem from the city giving it permission to have 10 special events per year.
“It isn’t safe for my children’s ears. It isn’t safe for the adults’ ears at my house when this goes on,” Pitt said at the meeting.
“Where does our property value, where does our kids’ enjoyment of the yard come into play so that a business that isn’t making money can get through,” she asked.
Shelly Vogel, who lives across the street from the club, wants a third party environmental assessment to be done and is hopeful that the sport can continue to coexist in the area,” to provide the diversity to the sporting and natural community we promote.” But Vogel said that this club is not suitable for the area.
Chris Bradford, with the gun club, said that it had been making progress with their discussions and that a number of issues had already been resolved. He was hopeful to continue the discussions for a resolution to the other issues.
He said residents want an environmental stewardship plan for the club that he doesn’t feel is warranted. He wants to see a neutral party review the existing document, adding that the club could provide residents information regarding current practise of environmental monitoring at the club and at clubs across the province.
Bradford also said that five special events are not enough to cover increasing operating costs and money lost from being closed. The club has proposed eight special events in 2019, after which it will evaluate costs.
“Each special event raises approximately $3,000 for the club. So giving up two events, that’s a $6,000 loss in our revenues,” explained Bradford, adding the club feel can develop a new annual calendar in January each year and share it with the city and residents before finalizing it.
“We don’t believe that there is anything that’s still on the table that can’t be come to an agreement and fixed,” he said.
Coun. Janice Elkerton, who paid a visit to the area to hear the noise levels for herself, asked about using a different shot to mitigate noise in the neighbourhood, to which Bradford replied that there is no quieter shell.
“We use the same ammunition for shooting skeet as we do for shooting trap or sporting plays. They are generally a trap load. The only real difference is the size of the pellets,” said Bradford.
Coun. Mike Stark, who also visited the neighbourhood along with Coun. Bruce Bell, said he had done a lot of shotgun shooting in his life starting from the age of 13.
“A lot of duck hunting, pheasant hunting and skeet and trap. I’ve never come across that type of shoot where someone would shoot and then if you didn’t get it there was five other shots,” he said, asking if that was part of a competition.
Bradford informed him that there was a special event in progress, the annual Father and Son Memorial Shoot, and what they heard was a toonie shoot, a game to raise money for the club.
Frank Vogel emphasized that residents of the neighbourhood feel that the finances of the club and not their responsibility not that of the city, and that any additional days of shooting would have a detrimental impact on their enjoyment of life, on their property values, as well as limit their right to earn income from farm gate sales and other agri-tourism income.
Council voted to refer the matter to staff to compile a report on the outstanding issues of the Good Neighbour Agreement. They are hoping to have a resolution by the end of July, before council breaks in August.
