Gun Club Dispute Back on the Table

In early January, the Schultz Rod and Gun Club was under a little fire of its own as neighbors raised concerns over stray bullets reaching their property nearby. The dispute was brought to the Finance Committee, which will again hear the status of how the problem could be fixed, once and for all, Tuesday night.

Residents had voiced their frustrations over repeated promises through the years to have the problem addressed, but changing ownership on the land on Big Muskego Lake delayed anything from happening. The city said that its hands were tied in the matter because the site was grandfathered under zoning codes.

"There's no enforcement that we have because of the zoning codes - they are grandfathered. We have no teeth to make the club change the design, but we could look into creating design specs for ranges in the city," Mayor Kathy Chiaverotti suggested in January. The idea would be to tie the club's license to the design standards for safety, but developing those specs would also take some time.  

She asked the committee to approve taking steps to have a consultant provide those specs, either through hiring someone or having an organization like the National Rifle Association assist, which can be done at no cost. After that, it still would be up to the city attorney to review what the city could enforce.

In addition, Leonard Pilak and Mike Williams with the club agreed to work with neighbors directly in the meantime to work out any concerns.

Just how far either of those efforts have gotten will be discussed when the Finance Committee reconvenes at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall.