HomeMy WebLinkAbout021 SmithMy name is Jim Smith and I live on Old Tarboo Road. We live just under two miles from
the proposed Cedar Hills Recreational Facility location so I have the benefit of having
over a year to consider what it would be like to live so close to a high impact gun facility
In the case of Cedar Hills, we also have the knowledge of how the previous location on
Discovery Bay the and there seems no reason to think the newly
proposed location will with the neighborhood. Lastly, we had
an illegal gun range operating near Tarboo Lake years ago near the currently proposed
site and know exactly what it will sound like if Cedar Hills should come to reality. The
only difference is the current prooosal asks for shooting and erplosions seven days a
week from 7:00 - 10-00 PM and the illegal shooting site , eventually stopped thanks tcr
the activism of we neighbors, was mostly awful on just Sundays.
I am a gun owner and a Vietnam veteran and I am here to say I think small, recreational
gun ranges in our county are just fine if they are either indoor ranges or located
somewhere that doesn't ruin the lives of neighbors within a 3 - 5 mile radius. (Thanks to
new weaponry the oircle of impact needs to be expanded from just what most people
seem to think within a mile of earshot. ...no pun intended.)
While there are many improvements needed to the current draft ordinance, I am here
today to ask the following:
. Cc i:ct n:r:-k,-'airv chargr:s to Table Ttrree of the current T'itle l8 ordirrance. Keep any
gun ranges in this courlty srnall and fbr people who are irul1,' doing recreational shooting
. recommend a 500 yard setback from any recreational lake or body of water just as the
I(itsap County ordinance has stipulated. l-here is a reason lor this. There are inholding
pieces of property that exist away from designated recreational lakes where families
swim, fisherman fish, wildlife drink and fish live. Duck hunters a few days a year is a far
cry from a pernanent gun range. The Kitsap County Ordinauce stipulates this...why
can't ours? For fear of a lawsuit? What kind of way is that to run a county2 Recreational
lakes are designated that so people can recreate there and it is Lrnrealistic that anyone can
recreate with the constant, unrelenting noise of machine gtur fire not to rnention the
environmental issues that are critical to keeping the enormous pollution caused by gun
ranges away fionr lakes.
. recommend therr: is rio rnilitar.\, trariring rtr clthsr liip,,1r inrpiiot rclati:.-l acliqilis5
(including aircraft landing). The federal government is in cl,irrge of training their own
people and the peace and tranquility of the citizens of JefI'erson County does not need to
be sacrificed so for-profit businesses can make a buck. Currently the Jefferson Countl'
Sportsrnan Association is adequately taking care of the training needs of our local law
enforcemcnt.
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I believe it is possible to accommodate the needs of reasonable citizens living in our
county who wish to recreationally shoot while also protecting the rightp of repsonalle
citizens in our county who wish to live without the unrelenting nohffi irffiffin.e
or helicopters landing. Given that both Kitsap and Clallam counties seem to have
ordinances that protect their citizens from for-profit large gun ranges, can you imagine
what will happen if Jefferson County becomes the go-to county for large, for-profit gun
ranges? It will be devastating to the integrity of this county.
Thank you for your work,
Jim Smith
781 Old Tarboo Road
Quilcene, Wa 98103
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Riley Parker
ZON18-00036, Comments on changes to Title 18 for Commercial
Shooting Facilities in Unincorporated Jefferson County
Nov 6, 2018,10:41:42 AM
pla ncom m @co.jeffe rson.wa. u s
Dear Planning Commissioners,
First let me introduce myself. I am a resident of Quilcene here in Jefferson
County, live on Tarboo Ridge, a board member of the Tarboo Ridge Coalition,
and a District 3 Representative to the Review Committee on Commercial
Shooting Facilities in Unincorporated Jefferson County.
As you are aware the work of the Review Committee on Commercial Shooting
Facilities was focused on Title 8 issues concerning Health and Safety. As we
transition to Title 18 to establish appropriate land use rules for siting which
"ensures compatibility with neighboring land uses" I would like to provide my
perspective to you.
I believe the issues surrounding land use is regional and not just an individual
county issue. The creation of an ordinance with less restrictive requirements
than its neighboring counties is a recipe for disaster. Having a recently
created ordinance in Kitsap County, and Jefferson County using it as a model
to create its own ordinance, was a wise decision.
There is one specific land use requirement in the Kitsap Ordinance which I
believe we should incorporate in our ordinance. Kitsap County chose to
establish a 500 yard no shooting setback from 12 public lakes to preserve
these aquatic recreational resources for the residents of the State of
Washington and future generations. They realized that the noise from an
outdoor shooting facility would be incompatible with the enjoyment of the
lakes we all use for fishing, swimming and just enjoying the piece and quiet of
nature.
There are 10 lakes here is Jefferson County, identified by the Department of
Fish and Wildlife, which are annually stocked with fish and facilities are
provided by either Jefferson County or the State of Washington. These lakes
are, Anderson Lake, Gibbs Lake, Horseshoe Lake, Leland Lake, Ludlow Lake,
Sandy Shore Lake, Silent Lake, Tarboo Lake, Teal Lake and Yahoo Lake.
Please consider including a minimum of 500 yards as a setback from these
lakes when you develop land use rules for siting of Commercial Shooting
Facilities in Unincorporated Jefferson County.
There is another requirement in the Kitsap Ordinance which I would also like
to bring to your attention. Kitsap chose to place requirements on organized
military training because of the intensity of noise from this type of use and
the impacts on neighboring lands. May I suggest for your consideration
incorporating the Kitsap Ordinance language on military training in the
Jefferson County Commercial Shooting Ordinance, again for consistency on
a regional basis and for compatibility with neighboring land uses.
Thank you in advance for your consideration of these two suggestions.
Riley Parker.
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