The future of shooting club ‘t Mikpunt from Drouwen hangs on a thread. The building that they have been renting for years will be given a new destination. Eetcafé Alinghoek, which owns the building, has plans for the construction of apartments.
Although the permits are not yet complete, the sudden uncertainty feels like a smoke. “We will be on the street and finding a new place will be extremely difficult,” says Lime Alberts, secretary of the association.
It is not the first time that the shooting club is in uncertain times. Once the building was part of Camping Alinghoek, but since the sale of the site the shooting club has been delivered to the plans of new owners.
“When Eetcafé Alinghoek took over, we thought we were safe,” says Alberts. “We were promised that we could just stay in the coming years. That gave us confidence to invest in a new bar and floor. But at the end of December we were suddenly told that there were apartments. That news came really unexpectedly.”
Fortunately, the major renovations had not yet been implemented, but smaller investments, such as new air conditioners, had cost the club money. “Now we have to save money for a new location, but it is extremely difficult to find.”
‘t Mikpunt is not just a shooting club. With many members and more than 20 youth members and an impressive list of NK shooters, it is one of the largest and most successful associations in the country. “Our youth department is one of the largest in the Netherlands,” emphasizes Alberts. “We only do the Olympic discipline with air guns. It is a safe sport, but people still look at it differently.”
The loss of the building would not only be a blow to the current members, but also for the future of shooting in the region. “If we can’t find a good location, we can no longer organize competitions. And we can no longer facilitate our elderly and disabled members. That is just incredibly sour.”
The association has since sent a cry for help to the municipality of Borger-Odoorn. Alberts: “We know that there is a lot of money going to sport, such as the new sports complex De Koel and a new club building for football. But is there anything left for us? We need a space of at least ten by twenty meters, and even that is a challenge. “
The Royal Dutch Schutters Association (KNSA) has also sent a letter to give the association a helping hand. “We hope that the municipality understands what important role we play, especially for the youth.”
According to Michel Martens, owner of Eetcafé Alinghoek, the situation was inevitable. “The association has grown out of her jacket,” he explains. “We have been working on the plans for one year. These will not be apartments for permanent residence, but recreational apartments. The space of the shooting club itself will not be an apartment, but a storage space and space for installations.”
Martens emphasizes that the association does not have to leave for the time being. “As long as the permits are not complete, they can stay. I wanted to warn them on time not to incur unnecessary costs.”
Although the zoning plan still has to be changed, the future of ‘t Mikpunt remains uncertain. “Maybe we are here for three years, but we can’t go anywhere,” says Alberts. “We already had room shortage and were talking about expansion, but that is now gone. We need eight to ten jobs, but that space cannot be found in the region.”