Garland City Counsel trying to CLOSE or Range

[Supercat]

All,
I went to GPSR last weekend and found out the Garland City Counsel is lobbying to try and close the range.

I am not a Garland resident although I live 3 mins from the range, I'm in Sachse. Just wanted to alert anyone who may want to get involved.
Check in with the range and they will let you know who to contact.

Hit the link below about half way down.

http://www.ci.garland.tx.us/Home/City+H ... -06-07.htm
c. Shooting Range on Pleasant Valley - Athas/Lathen

At the request of Council Members Douglas Athas and Darren Lathen, Council is requested to discuss the shooting range located on Pleasant Valley.

[Wildscar]

Thats just not right. I knew I hated Garland for more then one reason.

[age_ranger]

I wonder if they'll post minutes from the meeting? I'm a member out there and it's a great place to plink, not ot mention one of the only places around that would let you set up a chrony. Backwoods Traps, Collin County Gun Range.............hate to see Garland Public Range added to the list.

[Commander]

No minutes will be posted. According to the City of Garland website, this was an "Executive Session" - discussions held in executive sessions are not public information.

Didn't this last session of the legislature provide some protection for gun ranges from noise complaints? I suspect this is what is going on here.

[Supercat]

I'm going there tomorrow, I also suspect it is a noise issue. The only issue there is that the range has been there longer than most of the houses. So now the city counsel wants to close the range because the homeowners did not do due diligence before they purchased a home.

I'm sorry but I bought my home in sachse (within ear shot of the range) on purpose. I would go fight at the counsel but I am not technically a garland resident.

[RPBrown]

No minutes will be posted. According to the City of Garland website, this was an "Executive Session" - discussions held in executive sessions are not public information.

Didn't this last session of the legislature provide some protection for gun ranges from noise complaints? I suspect this is what is going on here.

I think legally that executive sessions can only be used to discuss financials or to recieve legal advise. All other points of the city counsel meetings have to be open. This is per Texas Open Meeting Act.

[para driver]

they'll attack on three fronts:
1) noise, babies can't take their 2pm nap on weekends..
2) safety (an errant round could kill someone)
3) environmental, a study of the water table around there will show lead

There USED TO BE a great range way outside of Chicago called Fox Valley. It was opened in 1964 and there wasn't anything around for 5-10 miles. As the suburban sprawl enveloped it, the problems started. Lies, arson, lies and more legal crap than you can shake a stick at finally overcame common sense. The Nolan family finally after 35 years sold out to, you guessed it, some real estate developer who slapped up more crappy houses.

Follow the money trail on this one, who wants that property for development?

[davefrmmrfy]

It's in a river bottom backing up to an abandoned land fill!!!

You're probably right about a developer wanting it. They'll build houses anywhere they can get away with it.

[para driver]

Fox Valley was an old gravel quarry, but that didn't stop them...

[Commander]

The GPSR item was on the "Executive Session" agenda for the Garland City Council. Perhaps they were getting "legal counsel" about GPSR. But anyway, as it was discussed in executive session, we (the public) will not know what the discussions were until (or unless) they decide to take some kind of action against GPSR.

[davefrmmrfy]

Unless I read this wrong, Garland Public Shooting Range is OK for now.
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/sho ... ?p=2523423

[seamusTX]

The GPSR item was on the "Executive Session" agenda for the Garland City Council. Perhaps they were getting "legal counsel" about GPSR.

It looks like this issue has died down for now.

I just want to mention, the topics that a government entity is allowed to discuss in executive session are very limited. In my county, the newspaper is forever suing government entities, mostly school boards, for this kind of garbage. The newspaper always wins.

When I say "sue," the newspaper goes to court and gets an order for the entity to disclose what went on in the executive session.

Greg Abbott is also very strong on the Open Meetings Act.

- Jim

[jimlongley]

There USED TO BE a great range way outside of Chicago called Fox Valley. It was opened in 1964 and there wasn't anything around for 5-10 miles. As the suburban sprawl enveloped it, the problems started. Lies, arson, lies and more legal crap than you can shake a stick at finally overcame common sense. The Nolan family finally after 35 years sold out to, you guessed it, some real estate developer who slapped up more crappy houses.

Follow the money trail on this one, who wants that property for development?

Used to shoot there from time to time, and used to camp at the Yogi Bear camground nearby, until the campers started raising an uproar about being able to hear shooting from the campground. We quit our membership with a long letter why, and never received a reply.

[jbenat]

We were at the GPSR weekend before last. This was our 1st time there. We did not get to shoot since they only accept cash or check and all we had with us was plastic. We wound up back at the Bullet Trap and had a great time. I noticed when we drove to the GPSR how the housing subdivisions were moving very close and thought it would only be a matter of time before it would be closed by irate soccer moms and their wimpy husbands.
I don't know who owns the land but as suburban growth nears outlying land the value along with taxes increases. I guess this is not all bad news for the land owners but it certainly is for us shooters. I bet the owners of Backwoods Trap made out quite well.
I would love to see a outdoor range modeled after The Back Woods Traps, put in somewhere north of the Frisco area. It would certainly be worth the drive.

[jimlongley]

There USED TO BE a great range way outside of Chicago called Fox Valley. It was opened in 1964 and there wasn't anything around for 5-10 miles. As the suburban sprawl enveloped it, the problems started. Lies, arson, lies and more legal crap than you can shake a stick at finally overcame common sense. The Nolan family finally after 35 years sold out to, you guessed it, some real estate developer who slapped up more crappy houses.

Follow the money trail on this one, who wants that property for development?

My wife and I used to haul our RV into a campground just down the road from that range and, of course, it never bothered me to hear the gunfire, but there were others who used to go hyper over it, couldn't even talk sense to them.