By Paige Nash
Last month the Bienville Parish Police Jury (BPPJ) unanimously decided to revoke the Arcadia Gun Club’s access to property previously used as a gun range, located at 21221 Highway 9 in Arcadia, just south of Bonnie and Clyde Trade Days property. It was determined that the BPPJ and the Bienville Parish Sheriff’s Office would enter into a new cooperative endeavor agreement and the property would now be referred to at the Beinville Parish Training Facility.
This decision was not taken lightly by the now defunct Arcadia Gun Club, whose members were mostly made up of Lincoln Parish residents who traveled to Arcadia to use the gun range.
The BPPJ received a letter from the Law Office of William Kyle Green out of Ruston, representing the Arcadia Gun Club. The letter included a list of “movable property” that the club wishes to remove, including buildings, flag poles, BBQ pits, patio furniture, bleachers, skeet throwers, tools, well pumps, lighting, ammunition, tools and other miscellaneous supplies.
BPPJ Secretary Rodney Warren said, “They pretty much want to take everything and leave the dirt.”
The Building and Grounds Committee met prior to the regular scheduled meeting and it was their recommendation that anything that was attached to the property remained there on the grounds.
Vice-President Darryl Ryder asked District Attorney David Newell to define what exactly is legally considered movable and immovable.
“That is definitely subject to interpretation,” said Newell. “Whenever we do agree to let them take the movable property, somebody needs to be out there to monitor what they are taking and I will set that up. I’ll coordinate it with you and the Sheriff’s Office.”
Once the jury has decided on what they will let the Arcadia Gun Club remove, Newell will reply to the office of Kyle Green with that list.
“They should not be able to take things that make a place operable,” said Ryder.
The original decision to revoke their access to the property was due to the local Bienville Parish 4-H Club being denied use of the range and the club showing favoritism to Louisiana Trap Association’s (LTA) youth program, as well as AIM, another youth program affiliated with LTA.
District 5 Juror Vic Fowler said, “They should donate all of it to us. They used to property for 30-40 years and ours kids had to work around them.”
The BPPJ has plans to further examine the items mentioned on the property and compile a list of what the Arcadia Gun Club can and cannot remove from the property.
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