BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) - A Vermont judge has ordered the owner of a firearms training center in the town of Pawlet to permanently end any training at the facility and to remove buildings that were constructed without zoning permits.
In an order dated Friday, Environmental Court Judge Thomas Durkin also imposed $46,600 in fines and fees against Daniel Banyai, the owner of Slate Ridge, which advertises gun and ammunition sales on its website.
Banyai was also ordered to hire a licensed surveyor or engineer to survey all the structures on the property.
“Once that site plan is completed and filed with the Court and the Town, Mr. Banyai shall immediately begin and complete the deconstruction and removal of all buildings on his property that have not (been) authorized by a valid zoning permit,” Durkin wrote.
If Banyai refuses to comply with the orders, the court could authorize the town or its agents to go onto the property, itemize the improvements and carry out the demolition work.
The decision made permanent a preliminary injunction issued in January that forbid Banyai from holding firearms training classes on the property because he did not have a local permit.
Durkin’s decision says Banyai claimed to have made $1.6 million in improvements to the property since he purchased it in 2013. The 30-acre property is only permitted to have a garage with an apartment.
Sometime in 2017, Banyai began operating the firearms training facility. Around that time, he erected a 500-square-foot structure to serve as the training center and a number of outdoor shooting ranges, all without the necessary zoning permits.
There was no immediate response Monday to a request for comment sent to an email address for Slate Ridge.
The Vermont news organization VTDigger.org first reported on Slate Ridge last fall, saying its operations terrified some of the neighbors.
Neighbors of Slate Ridge have complained about gunfire and what they claimed were threats and intimidation by Banyai and his supporters.
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