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January 21, 2005Sportsman's club promises appeal of rulingByRecord-Eagle staff writer ELK RAPIDS - Elk Rapids Sportsman's Club members vowed to appeal an Antrim County judge's ruling that would force the club to move from its decades-long home in Elk Rapids Township. "The loss of the club would be a devastating blow to not just every recreational shooter, hunter and sportsperson who uses the club now, but to the entire community," said club chairman Brian Kroll in a statement to club members. Antrim Circuit Judge Philip Rodgers Jr. last week ruled township officials did not keep a promise to build a park on the property on which the sportsman's club has sat for decades. The property was willed to the township by Mina Wilcox in 1948. The judge said the township had six months to come up with a plan for developing a park, which must then be completed within two years. If township officials choose not to build a park, the property will revert to Wilcox's heirs. The Sportsman's Club was ordered to vacate the 11 acres on Woodland Drive within 30 days of the township submitting its plans to the court. Club member James Daoust cited what he said were many beneficial services provided by the club, including law enforcement training, programs for Boy Scouts and hunter safety, and certification programs for those seeking concealed weapons permits. "They provide a safe place, under a controlled atmosphere, where people can do their shooting. It's a wholesome sport," he said. Kroll urged club members to continue their financial support of the organization, which has now established a legal defense fund in anticipation of an appeal.
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