Town clears racing pigeons for takeoff

The Belgium Town Board on Monday approved a conditional use permit to allow  an incoming resident to have racing pigeons on Monday, although at least one neighbor is concerned about the impact on his valuables and property value.

Calvin Gall, a Grafton resident, plans to move to 6073 Lake Church Rd. and bring as many as 70 racing pigeons with him.

The Plan Commission last month unanimously recommended allowing the birds after having questions of noise and waste answered to its satisfaction.

“They’re not like wild ones. A lot of people have a misconception between wild ones and homing pigeons. When (racing pigeons) come out, they’re flying. You won’t hear them on the roof,” Gall told the commission.

He told the Town Board and a few interested neighbors who were informed of the public hearing that the birds are also not like roosters.

“They’re not going to be crowing when the sun comes up or anything like that,” Gall said.

Neighbor Ralph DeWall voiced concerns over the birds’ waste, citing his expensive classic cars and swimming pool.

Gall said the birds usually relieve themselves when they come home and are only out for about an hour a day for training. He plans to use their waste as compost for his garden.

Gall said he grew up in West Allis learning to race pigeons and never had issues with any of the neighbors.

“Honestly, I’ve never had a complaint,” Gall said.

The birds will stay in an enclosed loft that won’t be an eyesore, he said.

“It’s not going to look like a chicken coop. It’s going to look like a souped-up shed,” Gall said.

The location in the Town of Belgium was perfect for its namesake, Gall said.

“Ironically enough, (pigeon racing) started in Belgium (the country) so when I saw this lot in Belgium (the town) I told my wife, even though it’s a long commute for me because I work in Waukesha, we’ve got to try and get this because it’s just perfect living in Belgium,” Gall told the commission on July 20.

The birds were used during the World Wars to carry messages from soldiers on the front lines to military bases.

Birds begin training 30 days after they’re born, Gall said. As with most animals, food is used as motivation.

Birds are left outside in a settling cage for a couple of weeks so they become familiar with their surroundings. Then they are let out to fly.

The pigeons’ endurance is built up over time.

“You won’t see them for an hour. I’ve had birds go 40 miles away and come back,” Gall said.

Then, road training starts. Gall puts the pigeons in baskets and drives them increasing distances away, starting with five miles, then 10, then 20.

“The first race is 100 miles away,” he said.

The pigeons are taken to a starting location — the longest is about 500 miles away in Topeka, Kan. — and then released to fly home. Electronic bracelets monitor their progress. The birds with the fastest average speed win. Gall said he has lost races by 1 mph.

Town resident Kery Hunsicker said Gall is a nice man who should be able to do what he wants as long as it doesn’t significantly impact his neighbors but thinks the town put him in a bad spot, already facing adversity from neighbors while he thought what he was doing was right.

“It seems like it is the wild, wild west. There’s just a new sheriff in town,” she said. “This isn’t the proper process.

Zoning Administrator Charlie Parks said Gall approached the town and was told certain pets would require a conditional use permit. The permits are reviewed each year and are designed to protect the neighbors, the permit holders and the town.

Town Chairman Tom Winker said Parks is “consistent with everybody” and that “We try to be (on the) up and up.”

The woman questioned approving new conditional use permits when the town hasn’t been enforcing other rules, such as lawn cutting and having unlicensed cars in driveways.

Winker said unlicensed cars must be put in storage or be removed.

Supr. Tom Bichler said one car was recently removed after sitting for a couple of years.

“There is a process,” Winker said.