Holmesburg Gun Club happy
about support of civic group

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

Leaders of the Holmesburg Fish and Game Protective Association spent months negotiating with City Hall officials to save their pistol, rifle and shotgun ranges from a planned takeover by the city’s prison system.
Now that the city has a new mayor and a new prisons commissioner, the local sportsmen plan to keep fighting to save their 78-year-old organization, commonly known as the Holmesburg Gun Club.
Speaking at the monthly general meeting of the Upper Holmesburg Civic Association on Jan. 17, a club board member thanked local residents for their ongoing support and reported that the club’s fate now hangs largely in the balance of talks with the Fairmount Park Commission.
Board member Joe Gaynor explained that his organization had always tried to keep a low profile in the community despite its vast membership of around 1,400 people, including some 1,000 city residents. It largely succeeded in that respect because of its relatively isolated location along the bank of the Delaware River off of Pennypack Street.
The club has always leased the site — now about three acres in size — from the city and built up its facilities including a clubhouse, indoor pistol range and outdoor target ranges for pistol and rifle, as well as a shotgun range for skeet and trap shooting.
"In 1930, we got a blank piece of property that was nothing but mud flats and ash dumps," Gaynor said.
Last year, the city attempted to evict the club as the Philadelphia Prison System sought to take over the site for its own training facilities.
City Councilwoman Joan Krajewski enabled the club to remain there beyond a Dec. 31 deadline by sponsoring a Council bill transferring the land from the Department of Public Property to the park commission, an entity not under direct control of the mayor.
Krajewski later withdrew the bill, but in doing so gained the club a four-month extension. The club is now hoping to reach a lease agreement with the park commission. If that occurs, Krajewski will be able to reintroduce the land transfer bill.
The gun club has received no official word from the office of Mayor Michael Nutter or from acting Prisons Commissioner Louis Giorla on the new administration’s position, Gaynor said.
Whereas the club tried to avoid public attention in the past, Gaynor said, it now embraces the kind of unsolicited support offered by the UHCA. The club director said he was surprised when he found the civic group’s Web site recently and read that the neighbors had voted to support the gun club against the prisons.
"We’re hoping to be around a lot longer and we very much appreciate your support," the club official said.
The club expects to hold community open house events once the weather gets warmer, Gaynor said.
The Upper Holmesburg Civic meeting featured two additional guest speakers: Officer Joe Hansbury, the new community relations officer in the 8th Police District, and Officer Jeanne Austin, the district’s victim assistance officer.
Hansbury said he plans to be an active and vocal advocate for local civic, Town Watch and other community groups. He has worked 12 years in the district and knows the problems and concerns shared by residents.
He described himself as a firm believer in the theory that if the public reaches out to kids early in their lives by offering them activities and mentoring, it will save them and the community from many problems in the long run.
Austin informed residents about millions of dollars in funding that is available to victims of crime. Individuals can seek reimbursement for lost property, medical bills and other expenses, along with counseling, through the Northeast Victims Services.
For information about victim assistance, call the 8th district at 215-686-3080. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com