Ken Neumeister and the Shooting Range Land Deal

As readers know, I've been a proponent of Sheriff Fries' plan to build a shooting range in south Fort Wayne from day one. However, after learning that Neumeister Properties owned the land I thought it was my duty to look into the matter to ensure that everything was above board.

Kevin Leininger had a piece discussing some of the details of this transaction:

The story begins with the Adams Center landfill, even though the facility at 4636 Adams Center Road hasn't accepted hazardous waste since 1998. In 2002, the closed landfill's owners, as part of a legal settlement, agreed to give the 200 adjacent acres to the Ministerial Alliance. But the central-city pastors never developed the land, so on July 9 they sold it to Neumeister Properties LLC for $615,000, according to county records.

But in June, the County Commissioners had agreed to pay Neumeister up to $675,000 for the property if certain conditions were met, and County Council agreed to the purchase Aug. 16 for Sheriff Ken Fries to building a training center and outdoor shooting range. Neumeister will get to keep five acres at Adams Center and Paulding roads, and the county will pay to relocate a drainage ditch, theoretically improving the property's development potential. County Surveyor Al Frisinger said he's not sure how much the drainage work will cost.

If the deal closes - the land must still be rezoned - will Neumeister have profited improperly? Or will he have done the county - and taxpayers - a favor?

One point of contention I have with Leininger is that, to my knowledge, there is no documentation recorded by the county that says what Neumeister paid for the property. There is a mortgage recorded for the property for $615,000 but that is no guarantee that's what Neumeister paid for it. Having said that, Neumeister claims that he's only going to break even on the deal, and I don't hear anyone from the Ministerial Alliance protesting that they were swindled, so I don't see any reason not to take him at his word.

One might quibble on the definition of break even since it appears Neumeister is going to personally get 5 acres out of the deal and the county is going to pay to relocate a drainage ditch. However, at the end of the day Neumeister did help the sheriff acquire the property he needed and the County officials that approved the deal knew of his involvement. Should he be compensated for his time and effort? Certainly. Did he benefit from having access to people and information about future plans that others might not have had? Probably.

But I just don't see any kind of egregious violation of the public trust or anything else that would rise to the level of unethical behavior...


FYI: A recent addition to the Fort Wayne blogosphere, Roadkill Taxpayers, has posted about this very topic and takes a different view than myself

Sheriff Fries Gets County Council Approval for Shooting Range

The JG reports that the county council approved the necessary spending to buy the land needed for the shooting range:

Allen County Council members gave Sheriff Ken Fries the go-ahead Thursday to buy 193 acres – once part of a hazardous waste landfill – for a proposed training center and shooting range on Adams Center Road.

The county commissioners had entered into a purchase agreement to buy the property for about $675,000, but officials needed the council’s approval to spend the money. Fries said the property will likely cost no more than $650,000.

The commissioners offered to contribute $375,000 of that amount from a cumulative capital development fund, and the sheriff would provide the remaining $200,000 out of a commissary account fueled by inmates at the Allen County Jail.

The council, at Fries’ request, agreed to contribute $75,000 for the project out of the county’s general fund. Fries said user fees would help pay back that money.

Council approved the purchase and Fries promised never to ask for taxpayer money again for the training center.

Fries hopes to close on the property in the next two weeks, he said. He also hopes to work out a contract with a company that will seek out corporate grants to help pay for construction.

The shooting range will likely be the first portion of the center to be built because it will be the cheapest to construct. The center will likely be built in phases because of the cost, Fries said.

Sheriff Fries deserves a lot of credit for getting the ball rolling on this proposal and the commissioners and council should be commended for supporting him. I hope the Sheriff can get the necessary grants needed to make this project a reality. It's quite refreshing to see a local official trying to do everything he can to push for new projects within the city without resorting to the property tax crutch...

JG Editorial Board Supports Proposed Shooting Range

I am pleasantly surprised at this morning's JG editorial supporting Sheriff Ken Fries' plan to build a shooting range:

His idea is untested, but if donations and grants build the entire training center and Fries is able to bring in enough revenue to cover operating costs, county officials have little reason not to give it a try.

Even if fundraising falls short and the driving course idea fails, the county would have a needed shooting range, plus land it should be able to resell without loss or make available to new employers.

Fries’ idea is worth pursuing. And regardless of the sheriff’s training center, the Plan Commission, and later the City Council, should vote to rezone the property.

I have previously written in support (here and here) of this plan and I think Sheriff Fries should be commended for trying to build a much-needed rifle range without raising our taxes. It's not every day I agree with the JG editorial page but it's been happening a little more frequently of late - their wildly off-the-mark Valerie Plame editorial not withstanding (sorry, couldn't resist)...

Update on Fort Wayne Shooting Range

Previously, I blogged about Sheriff Ken Fries' plan to build a new shooting range on the south side of Fort Wayne. This complex would be used for officer training as well as recreational shooting for the public (among other things). I applaud this plan especially because Fries wants to build the entire complex with grant money, but before he can apply for the grants the county must own the land.

Yesterday, County Commissioner Nelson Peters informed me that the commissioners did approve a purchase agreement for this land. Now the County Council must approve the plan as there is a provision in the agreement that nullifies it if the council doesn't approve (JG has more). I've written my councilman (Darren Vogt darrenvogt@allstate.com) as well as the three at large members (shown below) to voice my support and I would encourage everyone else that is interested to do the same.

If you don't know who your councilman is you can find them here. Unfortunately for some reason their e-mail addresses aren't listed on the site so you'll have to call the auditors office to get them - convenient huh?

Paul Moss paulgmoss@aol.com
Patt Kite paulette.kite@co.allen.in.us
Roy Buskirk rbuskirk@comcast.net