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Olney council approves repairs, supplies for city firing range after gun‑club presentation
Summary
The council voted to provide cleaning supplies and approve structural repairs at the Olney municipal firing range after the Olney Gun Club described $5,000 in volunteer improvements and requested two brooms, an industrial dustpan and longer roofing.
Lynn Ernst, president of the Olney Gun Club, told the Olney City Council the club has leased and maintained the city firing range since 1994 and has spent more than $5,000 in materials over the past two years to repair and upgrade the facility.
"Our expenditures were over $5,000 during the past 2 years," Ernst said, adding the club mounted targets and replaced rotting boards using member labor at no cost to the city. He asked the council to provide two brooms and an industrial‑grade dustpan for the range's building and to approve structural repairs to the firing line, including purlin (rafter) replacement, new fascia and extending the roof by about one foot to prevent future rot.
Councilman Miller moved to approve Ernst's requests and to authorize the structural repairs; a fellow council member seconded the motion. Council members debated alternatives, including adding gutters to control runoff versus extending the roof. Ernst and council members cited durability and maintenance concerns: gutters on the current building had vegetation and had not been maintained, while an additional one foot of overhang would reduce future wood rot.
Ernst gave a rough cost estimate: $500 to restore the current 10‑foot condition using scrap metal or about $900 to extend to an 11‑foot overhang. Several council members said they would first ask whether city departments could perform the installation in‑house to save money; the motion included that in‑house completion be attempted if feasible.
After discussion the council approved the motion by voice vote. Mayor Lambert thanked Ernst and the club for the volunteer work and the donation of improvements to the city.
The council did not specify a contractor or exact funding source in the public discussion; members indicated they would explore in‑house crews before outsourcing the roofing work.
