Editor's note: Mr. Steffens, of Moscow, sent a copy of this letter as an email to all county supervisors.
Good morning, Supervisors,
I am writing this morning to ask all of you to rescind your vote on the 28E land purchase agreement for the proposed shooting range on F70. Will you please rescind your vote on this item? Or please make another motion to not move forward with the purchase of this land and proposed shooting range?
All of you have tough jobs but I believe your jobs as supervisors are to listen to the county employees and to the citizens of this county. Now that we have found out about the shooting range, the citizens of this county are speaking to you, and we want you to listen to our concerns.
None of you live close to this site currently and none of you would want this in your backyard. I have a lot of reasons for not wanting this in my backyard, but I will keep my email short. I have attached a map of the location of this proposed shooting range and the proximity of my house. I have four kids. We are always out in my back timber and walk through the nature conservancy quite often. I am scared of ricochets and feel like this location could be a disaster for the county if a life was taken or changed because of a shooting accident caused by someone at this shooting range.
Mr. Sorensen - I have known you for 15 years now and you have been a great guy to me, always listening to me and others and helping/guiding me along my business startup ten years ago. I voted for you. I have done quite a bit of business with you, and you have always been a stand-up guy. You are great at listening to others and I’m asking you to listen more closely to the concerns of your county citizens. Jeff, will you rescind your vote on this item or make a motion to not move forward with the purchase of this ground?
Mr. Kirchner - I do not know you but I know some of your family. I know all of the local farmers love you and voted for you. I voted for you. I know you have raised kids and now have grandkids. I know you have a nice peaceful place out in the country that you enjoy. You would not want this next to your place and you would not want your grandkids around an area like this with a chance of ricochets. Mr. Kirchner, will you rescind your vote on this item or make a motion to not move forward with the purchase of this ground?
Mr. Sauer - I rented a storage unit from you many years ago and I voted for you. I think you have also been a stand-up guy for many years. You would not want this shooting range next to your home. Mr. Sauer, will you rescind your vote on this item or make a motion to not move forward with the purchase of this ground?
Mr. Chick - I do not know you but I voted for you because once upon a time you worked at GPC and were an advocate for the working man. I have a lot of respect for you after watching the last supervisor meeting. You would not want this shooting range next to your home. Mr. Chick, will you rescind your vote on this item or make a motion to not move forward with the purchase of this ground?
Mr. Mather - I do not know you but I did vote for you based on your reputation. You said you will not be voting on this matter based on your relationship with your client. You would not want this shooting range next to your home. Mr. Mather, if you had a chance to vote, would you vote against it or make a motion to not move forward with the purchase of this ground?
Thank you for your time. I’m looking forward to hearing back from you.
Aaron Steffens
Moscow