Spencer gun range project on hold

The Village of Spencer may “have its ducks in a row,” but it will have to wait at least another year and a half to begin construction on a new gun range at the edge of the village limits. The village has been working with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to fund and design the gun range, but will have to wait until the DNR concludes its site review before work can begin.

It’s been a long process for the Village of Spencer to build a gun range. The project was started by the village board back in 2020 as they considered a proper place for village police officers to practice handling their guns and decided to expand the idea to include public usage of the space.

“The police department has been using this piece of land owned by the township (of Spencer) as a gun range,” said village administrator and clerk/treasurer Paul Hensch. “We were looking at expanding it for public use.”

The township agreed to sell the land – located three miles east of the village at 106263 County Highway C – to the village for $1 later that year, and since then, Hensch said, the village has been working with the DNR to build a proper range. The DNR has grant programs to help municipalities, clubs, businesses and other entities with developing a gun range, and the village has been awarded about $180,000 from the Shooting Range Development Grant to help the project along.

“We had a grant opportunity for $180,000,” said Hensch. “This is the first time that the DNR has issued a grant for a brand new range. It’s the first project of its kind.”

With the funding by the DNR, Hensch said the village can have the gun range built without putting a burden on taxpayers for the project. Additionally, he said the project has gotten support and funding from other organizations such as the Spencer Sportsman’s Club, which donated more than $40,000 before they disbanded.

“The Spencer Sportsman’s Club had wanted to get a gun range in our area,” he said. “They had recently disbanded, but gave us their remaining money because they wanted to see their funds go to achieve one of their goals.”

Since receiving the funding, the village has been in the planning stage of the project, and now has a detailed set of plans of what the site will look like. Plans include a 100-yard gun range surrounded by a 10-foot high earthen berm on three sides and a 30-yard archery range. There will be a small parking lot and the range will be made according to Americans with Disabilities Act standards. Hensch said the entire project is being made with safety in mind.

“We are making sure there are safety measures in place so the project is safe,” he said.

In addition to the physical features of the gun range, Hensch said after it is built, the village police will make regular patrols of the site and the village will bear responsibility for maintaining the range’s condition. As part of the DNR’s Shooting Range Development Grant, the village will have to keep the range open to the public at least three days per week or 100 days per year for the next 20 years.

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from p. 1 “It will be patrolled by the police to make sure it stays safe,” Hensch said. “The village will also have responsibility for maintaining the range. It will be open from a half hour after dawn to a half hour before dusk.”

Just when the gun range will be built and ready for use is an unanswerable question at this point. Hensch said the village and DNR have been going through reviews of the site to make sure they are following guidelines on environmental policies and laws. That part of the process by the DNR could take a few years to complete, leaving the project in limbo until the DNR’s work is done.

“Right now we are at the whims of the DNR, and that could mean we will be waiting for 18 to 24 months,” he said. “Because of the size of the project they got to get their ducks in a row before we can get started. When we start is going to be up to them.”

Shown is the proposed layout for the expanded Spencer gun range on Highway C. The plan is for the range to be open for the police department and public use.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO