Commission allows limited after-hours law enforcement training at Glendon range with notification, 9 p.m. shooting cutoff

The Clay County Planning Commission on March 17 approved an amendment to the Glendon Rod & Gun Club’s conditional‑use permit to allow after‑hours shooting solely for official law‑enforcement training events, with conditions designed to reduce neighborhood impacts.

Planning staff explained the range is a legal nonconforming use under a 2004 CUP and that the requested change would permit after‑hours use only for department‑sanctioned training, require notification to residents within a half‑mile at least 24 hours before an event via a subscription email list, and maintain other existing safety and site requirements. Staff noted a letter of support from Klay County Sheriff Mark Empting and limited complaint history in the department file.

Tom Bergland, speaking for the club, said the club has hosted law‑enforcement trainings for many years and has implemented a subscription-based notification system for nearby property owners. Bergland said only official department events would be eligible for after‑hours use and described how agencies must e‑mail the club in advance to trigger the notice process.

Neighbors voiced concerns about notification gaps and frequency. Phil Swan, who lives on 157th Street South, said he supported law‑enforcement training but suggested either an annual review or limits on the number of after‑hours days so neighbors can raise issues if use becomes excessive. Neighbor Shannon Noak said she had not received the club’s notification letter and asked the commission to define how many days and how late training could run, describing past weekends of frequent gunfire.

Sheriff Mark Empting told the commission the sheriff’s office supports the amendment, saying training typically would not run past 9:00 p.m. He described a recent multi‑night low‑light training and said some events span multiple nights to process a large number of officers, but emphasized a willingness to be “good neighbors.” Quoting the sheriff: “we would not be going past 9:00.”

Commissioners debated notification radius (half‑mile vs. one mile) and whether to limit the number of events per year. The commission settled on a half‑mile subscription‑based notification requirement (staff noted the club had mailed sign‑up letters within a mile), a no‑shooting‑after‑9:00 p.m. restriction for firearm discharge (cleaning and non‑firing activities may continue later), and preserved other existing CUP conditions (site design, NRA‑spec range construction standards and prior permit requirements). The amendment passed by voice vote after a motion by Ashley and a second by Laura.

The commission did not include a numeric tally in the meeting transcript.