Yellowknife (May 07/03) - The president of the city's gun club blasted council's refusal to renew a long-term lease at the shooting range, saying it could be the beginning of the end for a vital Yellowknife facility.

"We're still in the frying pan," said Barry Taylor. "We're stuck in a hell of a spot."

City staff recommended council wait until its general land use plan is completed later this year to consider another long-term lease to the club. In its place they will consider granting a temporary lease to the club for their Sammy's Sand Pit facility.

The matter was before the municipal services committee on Monday and will be voted on at an upcoming council meeting. Councillors at the committee meeting said there was no way they could grant a new long-term lease until after the plan, scheduled to be drafted this fall, is finished.

"There's no denying the importance of this facility to Yellowknife, but we're faced with a dilemma over the potential use of this land in the future," said Coun. Alan Woytiuk. "We do need to go through this planning process."

The land the shooting range is on is adjacent to the airport and is zoned as industrial and residential. As part of a general plan update, council will consider the future of the land but any residential development would be very close to the airport.

"It's not like they're going to put houses out there. Nobody believes that," Taylor said. "It would be $50 million just to get water and sewer out there."

The current lease runs out in November 2004 but a short-term lease would make things difficult for the club. Under federal gun laws, the club has to go through a lengthy recertification process every time it signs a lease, Taylor said.

"Last time we certified under this new legislation it took us a year and a half."

He said current facility would be almost impossible to relocate or rebuild.

"This is a facility that is just as important to the community as the new arena," he said. "We have a very high percentage of firearms owners in Yellowknife."

The range is used by the club's 250 members and by the RCMP and Department of National Defence.

The current lease for the land has been in place for 29 years. The club has a 40-year accident-free record, Taylor said.