County’s new firing range remains a work in progress
Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2008
Budget constraints in the city of Fayetteville won’t affect the construction of a new shooting range, said Jay Cantrell, chief deputy with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. “ We finished phase one, which includes a roof structure, ” he said. “ We got some money for 2008 to work on phase two, which will include a targeting system. ”
In addition to $ 100, 000 from the Washington County Quorum Court, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office has received $ 40, 000 from the Fayetteville Police Department and $ 24, 900 from the U. S. Marshal’s Office to pay for the new range, which is under construction on the agency’s land off Clydesdale Drive in south Fayetteville. “ We contributed $ 40, 000 in ’ 07 and $ 0 in ’ 08 due to budget constraints, ” said Greg Tabor, Fayetteville police chief. Cantrell said the city’s lack of funding for 2008 won’t affect completion of the new range. “ We’ve pulled out of construction for now until we decide what we want to do, ” he said. “ It’s a work in progress. We’re working with Fayetteville to determine what will fit our needs. ” Though no completion date has been set, Cantrell said construction of the third and final phase will include a range house and storage building.
“ That’s a future deal, ” he said. “ It could take five years. ”
The range currently used by city and county personnel is located behind the city’s solid waste department, near the animal services building on Happy Hollow Road. The facility has been in use since the 1960 s.
In an August edition of the Northwest Arkansas Times, Tabor outlined several concerns with the range.
Because of its location atop a former sewer pit, he said, the city’s shooting range is susceptible to flooding each time it rains. In addition to a tedious cleanup effort, he said, flooding issues pose environmental risks each time lead from ammunition rounds is released into the city’s water system.
Tabor said the biggest safety issue associated with the firing range is its location, which is near various residential developments, including the Stonebridge Meadows Golf Club. Though no incidents have ever been reported, he said prevention is key.
Groundwork for the new range began during construction for the Washington County Detention Center about two years. Dirt accumulated from leveling the site was used to build three berms. The mounds, which stand about 30 feet high, are covered with grass and will serve as a buffer around the firing range to catch stray bullets.
The facility’s steel roof is bullet-resistant and measures about 60-70 feet wide and about 100 feet long.
In addition to its steel exterior, the roof features a second layer of steel underneath and a third layer of plywood about three feet below. The structure’s multilayered design catches stray bullets and contains them between layers.
The roof and the berms surrounding the range are also designed to help muffle excess noise.
By partnering with Washington County, Fayetteville police and the U. S. Marshal’s Office will be granted unlimited access to the range.
“ Usually, our Fayetteville office has to come to Fort Smith to use the firing range, ” said Mike Blevins, chief deputy U. S. marshal. “ The new range will make it more convenient for our Fayetteville office, and it’s not that far from Fort Smith either. ”
Fayetteville police currently use the city’s shooting range on a routine basis.
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