Date: Fri 10-Jan-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Fairfield-County-Fish-Game

Full Text:

Hunting Club Neighbors Worry About Their Safety

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

Imagine moving into a new house in the country and two months later, having

your home's peace and quiet destroyed each weekend by gun shots from a nearby

fish & game club.

That's what several residents in the Hammertown Road section of town are

currently facing. They claim noise from the Fairfield County Fish & Game

Protective Association, which lies on the Newtown/Monroe town line, has

disrupted the serenity of the landscape. The area in question lies on the far

southern end of Sandy Hook.

Fearing a tragedy, members of the Halfway River Neighborhood Association have

urged the town to respond to its concerns over dangerous conditions and

excessive noise at the gun club. However, the gun club has been in operation

since the early part of the century. Many of the people complaining are new

residents who may not have been aware of the club's existence when they first

moved in.

Representatives from both the gun club and the neighborhood group met with

town officials from Newtown and Monroe last April and it was agreed that both

parties would attempt to resolve the problem amongst themselves. That didn't

work.

First Selectman Bob Cascella recently received a letter from the neighborhood

association calling for immediate action.

"The recent shooting death caused by a hunter in Newtown occurred deep in the

State Forest. The 450 gun club members are shooting and hunting right behind

our homes. We are asking you, once again, to take steps immediately to prevent

another shooting tragedy in our town," wrote association co-chairs Scott

Beals, Steve Gersen, Ann Leary and Doug Mackay.

Because the club pre-dates all zoning regulations, there appears to be little

that can be done to stop the activity. Nevertheless, Mr Cascella has promised

to compile complaint reports from both the Monroe and Newtown police

departments and to meet with State Rep Bill Varese and Monroe First Selectman

Karen Burnaska in an effort to rectify the situation.

"I don't know for sure what the town's obligation is, but we're going to try

and resolve this once-and-for-all," he said Tuesday. "We're going to look at

the whole matter again."

According to DEP natural resources chief Ed Parker, the gun club is

pre-existing under any state laws. As far as the neighborhood group's

allegation of noise level violations, Mr Parker said the DEP's department that

once regulated those laws has been eliminated due to budget cuts.

As Mr Parker explained, it's like the typical story of the family that moves

in next to a 100-year-old farm and then complains about the smell.

"It is a pre-existing activity. My guess is that 70 years ago that was a very

rural area," he said Wednesday. "It's a tough call. The first selectman has a

tough issue on his hands."

Timothy Ronan, attorney for the gun club, did not return phone calls earlier

this week.