After

this year, Fayette County 4-H won't be able to

use the Sheriff's Department shooting range for

its annual fund-raising turkey shoot.

"The

range was built for the Fayette County Sheriff's

Department, for training," said county

manager Billy Beckett in presenting the matter to

the Board of Commissioners Monday.

After

it was built, other law enforcement agencies

received permission to conduct training there,

and then the 4-H shooting club was allowed to

train its shooters there as well, Beckett said.

Neighbors

of the range, which is on McDonough Road near

McCurry Park, have increasingly complained about

the noise, he added. "I receive about a

letter a month," he said, "and phone

calls occasionally. I am supportive of what they

are trying to do, but I'm not sure that area is

an appropriate area for a public shoot."

Commissioner

Linda Wells said she was sympathetic with

homeowners, but added that the shooting range was

there before many of the homes were. "The

neighbors have moved to the nuisance; the

nuisance didn't move to them," she said.

But

Beckett pointed out that use of the range has

increased over the years. "It is not

pleasant on weekends when there's a lot of

shooting activity," he said.

County

officials are working to find a new location for

the shooting range in a more sparsely populated

area, Beckett said, but until a new range is

built, use of the current one should be limited

to training purposes.

Commissioners

unanimously agreed to the 4-H request to mount

its turkey shoot three Saturdays this year, Oct.

16 and Nov. 6 and 20, but to inform the group

that this will be the last year they can use that

particular location.

<!--

-----------