David Dwire Jr., who operates the Fox Range at 2435 Steves Highway, told the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly that the range has operated for more than a decade and hosts law enforcement, sanctioned shooting events and youth programs. He said a recent neighbor complaint and borough enforcement action led to a requirement that he submit a grandfather‑rights application by a set deadline or face fines.

Dwire recounted the site's history, saying matches and sanctioned events ran starting in 2012 and that a prior owner used the property as a range. He said the property is a private, members‑only range with safety procedures and contracts with numerous local, state and federal law‑enforcement agencies for training. "It's 5 p. M. Today, it was due for my grandfather rights application to be submitted or else I will begin to face fines and other courses of action that I'm not aware of yet," Dwire told the assembly during citizen comment.

Assembly members asked follow‑up questions about the provenance of complaints, what the borough had asked the owner to file, and whether the range had law‑enforcement contracts that would be disrupted if the site were closed. Dwire said borough planning staff had asked him to file a grandfather‑rights application and that he was waiting to receive copies of complaints lodged against him in order to fully respond.

Officials noted the site had been identified in a prior ordinance (2015‑67) as one of several grandfathered ranges and that planning staff were working to confirm documented status and the scope of complaints. Assemblymembers said the matter would be examined in the appropriate committee and that the owner should continue to work with borough planning staff on the grandfathering application.

What happens next: The owner said he had submitted some paperwork and would continue to work with borough planners. Assemblymembers indicated they will follow the planning department’s review and any formal enforcement action. The owner and several users emphasized the site’s role for law enforcement and youth training in the interior and asked the borough to clarify the record.