posted October 13, 2008
Recently I saw a petition asking members of the Soddy Daisy community to support keeping Montlake Classic Clays open for business. After asking some questions I learned that there is a concerted effort by a few members, or member, of the community to close Montlake Classic Clays for one reason or other, noise from the shooting I can only assume.
I honestly can't see this business being closed for any reason. We're talking about a business that has been in operation for over 35 years in the exact same location. Not only did I go there as a kid, my health teacher in high school took us there for Hunter's Safety courses. It's not like Montlake Clays just opened their doors in the last week or two; this place has been a mainstay in the community.
More importantly than all of that, I am presently coaching a team of young high school students as part of Tennessee's Scholastic Clay Target Program. Montlake Classic Clays immediately offered to sponsor our team and has already provided invaluable help, resources, and expertise to get the program off of the ground. At our first meeting we had over 30 boys and eight girls come out. TSCTP provides thousands of dollars in scholarship money each year to participants and this year our kids will be eligible.
Most of these kids aren't athletes or in the band and need something positive and this sport provides that opportunity. This provides a niche and gives them the chance to excel and enjoy a sport that is rich in tradition. In the 1970's, most schools in this area had skeet/trap teams. I see McCallie and Baylor students having organized practices there even now.
Being the Key Club Sponsor at Soddy Daisy High School, we are always looking for help from local businesses for our many fundraisers that benefit various charities around the city. Montlake Classic Clays has been there for us time after time, donating merchandise as prizes and buying hole sponsor signs for our annual golf tournament benefitting the Chattanooga Kidney Foundation. This business is a friend to our school and a friend to the community. In fact, we need more local businesses like this one to get involved with our schools and programs.
I encourage everyone to contact members of the local zoning board and local politicians and ask them to end this nonsense and leave Montlake Classic Clays alone. Why attack a man's livelihood and a business that has been a part of our community for so long? It seems petty to me.
Trevor Fuller
Soddy Daisy
trev054@aol.com
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I saw the opinion article about Montlake Sporting Clays. I live in and work in the area and the grounds at Montlake Sporting Clays has never looked better since the Sheaffers took over. They have been very nice to me when I went up there is the past.
I didn't even know that there was anyone trying to close it down and I can't imagine Mowbray Mountain without the skeet range being there because it has always been there. Whenever I give directions to someone that needs to go up on the mountain I always wind up saying "once you pass the gun range" or whatever, because it's a landmark and most everyone knows where it is.
I know firsthand that we need as many positive activities as possible to keep kids active and something like this gets the game controller out of their hands and them into the outdoors. I say keep it open.
Rabbit Turner
Soddy Daisy
turner_rabbit@hotmail.com
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Trevor Fuller,
Guess it would not seem petty to you if you lived there. When you used to go there in high school it was not Montlake Classic Clays.
When this business was owned by Carl Poston it was respectful to the neighbors who lived there. They did not shoot all hours of the day.
They did not keep our kids awake. They did not have trails going around a course, near people’s homes. And without a permit.
How would you like it to be 80 feet from where you try to sleep?
A lot of the people that live there have been there more than 35 years, they are old and do not deserve to have their property value brought down by this.
Man who came here a few short years ago, who has no respect for his neighbors or their property. Maybe it will happen to you one day, someone will move
Into where you live and do this to you without a permit, then you will know how they feel.
I have a son who attends Soddy Daisy High School and he can’t get the sleep he needs because of this man.
How selfish of you to think of your hunter safety instead of the people who live there
Rhonda Deprow
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Rhonda Deprow,
You said that when Mr. Poston owned the club that he did not shoot at all hours of the day. Well, as I remember correctly, he had lights out at night and people would proceed to shoot sometimes to 10 or 11 o’clock at night. So how is it fair to say that Mr. Sheaffer has people shooting all hours of the day when clearly Mr. Poston had his hours of shooting longer extending into the night? Since Mr. Sheaffer has owned the club, he has all shooting stop at dusk or 8 p.m., depending on which comes first: so sometimes even as early as 7 o’clock he closes. So I think your assumption is very false.
I would also like to state the fact that Mr. Sheaffer has every permit that Mr. Poston also had when running the club. If he did not have those permits, then how would the county have let him buy and run the business?
You say that it's 80 feet from your house? Then why in the world did you buy the house five years ago, knowing that the club has been there since 1970? The club was actually there before any neighbors moved near it. So in actuality wouldn’t you say the property already had the set value as it is now and that it is your own fault for buying property next to the club that is of lesser value, when the club was there first?
The Montlake Classic Clays is a very beneficial business to our community. Several schools go up there to practice for their shooting teams. Where are they suppose to go if this club gets shut down? I guess the teams will have to disband due to the fact that there isn’t a gun club anywhere close to this area. I find that very unfair to a lot of students, couches, parents, and schools. There are several churches and other business that go up to this club to have outings. This is a day where the employers or church members grow a closer relationship to their family and friends while having a good time shooting, cooking out, and just enjoying the fellowship with eachother. Our community benefits very effectively from this outstanding gun club.
You say how selfish of Mr. Fuller to think of hunter safety instead of the people that live there. Well, how selfish of you to try to close a man's way of living when the club has been there since 1970 and you moved to the club.
Codey Talley
Soddy Daisy
codey260@aim.com
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To the people who do not live in the area of Montlake Sporting clays.....When it was Montlake Shooting Center, the neighbors did not have a problem with the center. The previous owner listened to the neighbors and their concerns. The pistol range was shut down as a result of complaints. There were other areas at the shooting center that were not used due to "shot" hitting neighboring homes and a church.
The current owner decided to turn the extended property into a "sporting clay" play area, with 'no' thoughts of his neighbors. This play area is less than 50 feet from a road and 50 to 75 feet to neighboring homes. This is unsafe and a true nuisance.
We were once able to stand the noise from the skeet stations, but now with the guns shooting in the sporting clay area, so close to our homes, it is unbearable. I like to sit on my family's front porch and enjoy times with my family and neighbors. But, as the shots ring out, we are drowned out by the noise.
Let me ask you....If you own property, would you enjoy days and nights of gunshot? Some seem to think Montlake Sporting Clays should stay in operation. Well, most of you have businesses that require zoning. With no zoning there is no business - unless you perform such business without proper zoning. Hummmm, that sounds illegal to me.
So, for the ones who do not live in the area, how selfish of you to express your opinions without all the information. As for being petty, we own property in this area you don't. This has done nothing but devalue our property.
A thought to leave you with.....If someone tried to put a sporting clay facility in your neighborhood, would you try to fight it or welcome it. If you welcome it, take Montlake Sporting Clays to your neighborhood. We will both be happy.
Sherri Sherrill
Soddy Daisy
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I have gone to Montlake Shooting Range going on to Montlake Classic Clays with the change in owners. Both the Poston's and the Sheaffers are fine people. Maybe a little different in their approach to problems, but both couples are and have been very caring people. I know that it is hard to change opinions once they have been made, but sometimes a little education goes a long way. The sporting clay range was arranged with safety in mind. The shooting is done toward the center of the property and is done with shotguns not rifles. The shells that are used do not have a long range. They are loaded with pellets that look like BB's. Before the name change there was a sporting clay course there during the time of the previous owners.
The shooting club was actually started by Dennis McClendon and Carl Poston 39 years ago. Their family and friends used to shoot there all the time. The hours are still the same as it was 20 years ago when I first started shooting. They normally shoot later in the morning and not until 12:30 on Sundays. The shooting is over before dark. Why is it just now a problem after 39 years of being in existence? Can you imagine how hard it would be for a family of five to move from Michigan and start over in Tennessee investing all of their life's savings into a business just to have this happen to them? What would you do if suddenly your only source of income was taken away because someone got mad at you?
I hope that this business that has brought a lot of income to the Soddy Daisy area is allowed to remain. It is such a fun sport and I believe one that needs to be here in the Chattanooga area.
Alice Artime
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