Select board backs emergency closure of transfer-station shooting area after residents report bullets over homes

The Searsport select board voted 5-0 to support the town manager's emergency closure of the transfer-station gravel pit and to direct staff to draft an addendum to the transfer-station operations manual restricting access outside posted hours.

Staff introduced the matter after several reports that people were shooting above the berm at the gravel pit, sending bullets toward nearby houses and riddling trees with holes. "I urge the board to keep it in that status until we find a safe, solution to it," staff said, urging the board to maintain the closure while the town explores monitored or membership-based options. Board members raised liability and enforcement concerns and noted that connectivity problems make camera monitoring difficult.

Resident Pete Sernacki described a near miss and urged immediate action. "There were multiple bullets flying right over my vehicle," Sernacki said, recounting an incident that prompted him to flag the area and post no-trespassing signs. Another resident, Chris Koch, warned that signs alone often fail and urged stronger enforcement if the site remains closed.

The board's motion asked staff to draft an operations addendum that would prohibit access to areas outside the immediate transfer-station footprint during nonposted hours except for town employees. The motion passed on a roll-call-style result recorded as 5-0; the board directed staff to seek guidance from sportsmen's groups and to consider enforcement options that balance safety and lawful recreational shooting.

The board did not set a specific timeline for the addendum but asked staff to return with options including gating, membership models, improved signage, or other monitoring solutions. The select board's action keeps the site closed immediately while longer-term measures are developed.