Posted: Wednesday, December 26, 2012 -- 4:45 a.m.

NEENAH, Wis. (AP) -- The city of Neenah has agreed to remove lead bullets from a former firing range, clearing the way for the land to become a public park.

Once the12 acres are cleaned up the land will be handed over to the town of Clayton.

A Post-Crescent of Appleton report says Neenah police used the land as a shooting range for 50 years.

The land used to belong to the late John and Inez Noffke. Their estate has offered to donate it to Clayton.

Before that can happen, Neenah has to remove any lead contaminants by May 2014. That could involve spending $75,000 to excavate and dump contaminated soil.

But police Lt. Jeff Malcore says that's a small price to pay in exchange for decades of free use of the land.

Copyright 2012: Associated Press