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Residents tell Onslow County commissioners loud modified exhausts and private shooting range are harming neighborhoods
Summary
During public comment residents asked the Board of Commissioners to intervene on noisy modified vehicles and an active private shooting range they said risks lead contamination and safety hazards; commissioners acknowledged the concerns and said they would pursue options with appropriate authorities.
Two Onslow County residents used the public-comment period Monday to ask county officials for help addressing loud modified vehicle exhausts and an active private shooting range they said are harming nearby neighborhoods.
William Spencer, who identified himself as a Richlands resident at 105 Branch Street, told the Board of Commissioners that vehicles with altered exhaust systems create disruptive noise along highways and neighborhoods. He cited a North Carolina statute effective Jan. 1, 2023, on exhaust systems and emission-control devices and said enforcement is the problem: "I talked to law enforcement at Richlands and they tell me ... our hands are tied because if they take a case to district court and the judge throws it out," Spencer said. Spencer asked commissioners to "leverage what you can do for us" to address enforcement.
Charlie Fretwell described a roughly 47-acre parcel he said is being used as a shooting range near State Road 17, Pilcherds Branch Road and U.S. 172. Fretwell, who said he has military experience, said firing positions are as close as about 100 feet to his property line, that thousands of rounds are fired on weekend days and that spent lead could leach into local watersheds. He told commissioners he will share an order from Robert Brand of NC State Extension that, he said, provides a basis for county action.
Commissioners responded to the comments: Commissioner Davis thanked Spencer for raising the issue and said he would hold further comment pending additional information; Commissioner Carpenter said he was "truly sorry" Spencer experienced the disturbance and urged staff to share the complaint with appropriate authorities. At the end of the meeting the board chair said, "we understand those concerns ... and we're not gonna give up on that." No formal board action on either complaint was taken at the meeting; the comments were entered during the public-comment period and commissioners said they would relay the matters to law enforcement and county staff for follow up.
The public-comment rules used by the board limit remarks to five minutes and, per the board's procedure, commissioners reserve responses for the commissioner comment period. The speakers asked for enforcement or administrative follow up rather than immediate policy changes or formal board votes.
