Town Still Wrestling with Sportsman's Club Cleanup

The town continues to wrestle with plans to clean up the Exeter Sportsman's Club gun range.

The range has lead shot and clay target fragments in the soil, according to studies commissioned by the town. The club is also in the process of building a berm to muffle the sound of gunshots after fielding complaints from neighbors.

The town owns the land and leases it to the club, and the two sides have been unable to reach agreement on who should pay for what.

Board of Selectmen Chairman Don Clement and Town Manager Russ Dean have already met with representatives for the sportsman's club and brought the matter to selectmen on Monday night hoping to get some direction on how to proceed.

But the other members of the board were uncomfortable making a final decision on what portion of the work the town should pay for without further discussion and a legal opinion.

"I no longer want the taxpayers of this town to subsidize the activities and the results of the activities of the club," Selectman Dan Chartrand said. "I value the club being where it is. I like it there. But the taxpayers of this town cannot subsidize the activities of the club any longer. The activities of the club need to be paid for by the members of the club, and I sense a bit of a play here to make it complicated to continue to put the taxpayers of this town in harm's way."

In the end, the board chose to appoint an ad hoc committee consisting of Dean, Selectman Frank Ferraro, Health Officer/Assistant Fire Chief Ken Berkenbush and representatives from the sportsman's club and the neighborhood surrounding the club. The panel will be charged with coming up with a proposal to present to selectmen at their Feb. 10 meeting. That proposal will be vetted by the town's attorney to make sure the town is legally protected.

"I think that it's getting closer to a point," Ferraro said. "There seem to have been parallel lines, and I think we're getting closer to a point. I think if we have a small group work on this, we could get something."