The Emporia Gazette

February 12, 2012

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Firing ranges may have a shot at getting into Emporia after all.

City Manager Matt Zimmerman said Wednesday that he was now convinced a shooting range could be safely built within the city limits if the city commissioners wanted one. The range was proposed in July by Connie and Larry Lewis, who want to build it on Sixth Avenue at a site between Graphic Arts Road and Overlander Road.

Zimmerman said he was impressed by the safety measures used at shooting ranges in Garnett and near Manhattan, including a series of ground and ceiling baffles to keep shots from going astray.

“Nothing is foolproof,” said Zimmerman, who visited the Garnett range. “But it’s designed so that it’s virtually impossible, so long as you follow the rules, for a bullet to leave the shooting range.”

City laws currently prevent the operation of a private shooting range. If the commission decided to change that, one option would be to allow it as a special use in an industrial zone, Zimmerman said. As a special use, the range would require a public hearing and regular review.

“I would speak in favor of the staff developing a plan to move it forward,” Commissioner Jim Kessler said.

“I agree,” Commissioner Jeff Longbine said. “I think it can be done safely. I just want to make sure the rules are in place and adhered to.”

The conditions recommended by Zimmerman included:

- Only letting the range be open when the owner or a designated employee is present.

- Building a six-foot fence around the range.

- Use ceiling, sidewall and ground baffles to contain shots.

- Posting range rules that have been approved by the chief of police and then strictly enforcing those rules.

- Cleaning the shooting area and grounds every day.

- Requiring the site to meet all city building and zoning codes.

- Not permitting a shooting range within a quarter-mile of any residential or government property.

Commissioner Bobbie Agler said he wanted to see what the final rules would be.

“I’m in favor of moving forward, but there’s got to be some pretty hard and fast rules,” he said.

The area is in a flood plain, making it unlikely that anyone else would build nearby. Nothing heavier than a .45 caliber bullet would be fired at the range.

Pups in trucks

Commissioners asked City Attorney Blaise Plummer to see whether the city’s existing leash laws would forbid dogs from riding in the back of a pickup truck unrestrained.

The issue first came up last April, when Richard Hinson asked the city to ban dogs from the bed of a moving truck. At Wednesday’s meeting, Imogene McCosh of the Flint Hills Humane Society described several instances where a dog had fallen from a quickly-braking truck, including one case where the fallen dog was hit by a car.

Agler said he wasn’t sure of the need for a new law.

“I can see the reason for having it in a metro area,” he said. “It’s more highly populated and there’s much faster speeds. ... If we have an existing ordinance on the books that just needs to be enforced, that’s one thing. But I’m not sure if adding to the regulation is necessary.”

In other action:

- Most of the commission said it would probably not accept a bid from CTR for sidewalk work on South Avenue, since there was missing or incorrect information in the bid. The exception was Mayor Julie Johnson, who called the situation a “perfect storm” where a number of small problems added up to a big one. She noted that there had been miscommunications between CTR and the city and that the company was still completing a merger at the time of the bid.

- The commission discussed whether to invest the money from the sale of Lake Kahola itself or turn it over to the Emporia Community Foundation for a higher rate of return. Ken Calhoun of the Foundation noted that the city could always withdraw its funds if it became displeased with the foundation’s performance. “Our job is to follow your advice,” he said. “If we don’t follow your advice, we’re out of business.”