The Pitt Meadows Gun Club is in negotiations with nearby resident over terms of the its new Good Neighbour Plan.
Council heard on Tuesday that there are still outstanding issues, such as how many special events the club will have each year.
Complaints against the club have included increased noise, lead contamination from shot, and safety concerns over over shooting distances from the property lines.
The club, which has been in operation since 1946, had been closed since July 2017. It re-opened last month with new conditions, including the Good Neighbour Plan.
The club and neighbours have already agreed on many terms, such as the construction of a safety barrier.
William Wild, a neighbour on Kennedy Road, said there is agreement on some items, but the negotiations are “stuck on the amount of special event days.”
Council agreed the club could have up to 10 special events per year, with a maximum of one per month, which would allow shooting on Saturdays. The neighbours would like to limit that to five.
“We would like them to meet us halfway,” said Wild.
Dave Carter, a gun club member from Port Coquitlam said, the negotiations have been “fruitful and useful.”
He noted the safety barrier is one issue that has been agreed on. That will see a fence constructed that will be 40 metres long, 2.2 metres high and five centimetres thick, to be installed by June 30. The shooters will use the northern trap field only, until the upgraded fence is in place. The club has also agreed to adhere to the shooting locations identified by RCMP.
Carter said the club will not necessarily hold the 10 special events per year, and views such details as areas to be negotiated, along with hours of shooting.
The club has agreed to shooting on Sunday and Wednesday evenings, but the hours when shooting stops is still at issue.
“From the gun club’s perspective, our historical hours were never a restriction placed on us, our historical hours is when we chose to actually be open, as a volunteer club,” he said, adding members could have shot at other times.
The two sides are also dealing with lead contamination on the property. Residents have asked for monthly testing to determine the level of toxicity. Carter noted the cost of each testing could be as high as $1,000, and he asked that city staff collect the sample, and the club pay for having the sample tested. The club does have an environmental management plan.
The neighbours have asked for a “sum zero” lead reclamation plan. Carter said large scale lead reclamation would mean removing most of the vegetation on the site, which could have negative consequences, potentially mobilizing lead that is “sequestered” now.
The two sides have agreed to small-scale lead reclamation that avoids vegetation clearing, with a net zero lead management strategy as the goal. The club will look at mechanisms to collect lead as it falls.
Carter said the club is willing to compromise, and the environmental stewardship plan, noise attenuation, safety plan and schedule can be revisited every year.
Coun. Bruce Bell said council authorized up to 10 special events.
“Holding on to the 10 is not wise at this time,” Bell said.
Coun. Janis Elkerton said the two sides should be given opportunity to negotiate further, and she does not want to impose a city arrangement on the two groups. They will be back before council by June 19.
