Sounds from GunHo Indoor Shooting Range and Firearms Store were again the topic of discussion at the Pass Christian Board of Aldermen meeting on Tuesday.
A resident in the neighborhood, who was not in attendance at the December meeting when Aldermen addressed the issue, said the sounds of gunshots remain disturbing.
Pass Christian resident Rudy Cardreon lives in the neighborhood adjacent to the indoor firing range. During public comment, Cardreon told city leaders of his frustrations with the continued noise coming from the facility. He said the issue is not about the times of operation but about the noise in general. Cardreon said gunshots were disturbing any time of the day or night.
During a December Board meeting, city leaders along with GunHo owner Roger Caplinger, came to an agreement to change the hours of operation in order to address the growing noise complaints from those living near the establishment. In the public meeting, all agreed to the new hours.
Alderman Anthony Hall said the board had attempted to achieve a “win-win” through regulating the hours of operation, thus controlling the time gunshots would ring out.
He apologized to Cardreon, saying that he had “dropped the ball” when responding to Cardreon’s request which was to do something about the sounds of gunshots coming from the shooting range.
Pass Christian Police Chief Tim Hendricks told Cardreon that the owner discussed further efforts to reduce the sounds coming from the business, mainly bringing in a mound of dirt to muffle the sounds.
City Attorney Malcolm Jones told Cardreon that he was the only person complaining about the sounds of gunshots. Cardreon said, “It only takes one match to start a fire.”
Mayor Chipper McDermott recommended that Hendricks talk with Caplinger about what his plans are to further reduce noise.
In other business:
The Board adopted the amendment to the City’s drug testing policy which tests for four additional semi-synthetic opioids. The amendment applies to five employees, CDL drivers.
Alderman Regina Charlot questioned whether other employees will be tested for the same drugs. She said that it wasn’t fair to dismiss some employees for testing positive for banned substances and not others.
“That’s a good question,” said Jones, who recommended the board vote on the recommendation before them. Jones added that he would discuss Charlot’s concern with the City’s district drug testing consultant.
Aldermen also voted unanimously to declare property situated at 147 Holiday Drive in Pass Christian a public nuisance. A representative of the owner requested more time to clean the property. Jones said that the city would give the owners until February 6, 2018 to clean the property.
