08/11/2015

Shooting-range evaluator presents, explains findings on Spurwink Rod and Gun Club

Before a packed Town Hall chamber Aug. 10, 2015, the professional shooting-range evaluator hired by the town to assess the Spurwink Rod & Gun Club affirmed findings that led officials to suspend live fire at the club last month.

The evaluation is a requirement of the club's application for an operating license under the new shooting range ordinance. Although the club has operated at its Sawyer Road location since the 1960s, concern over safety from nearby residents prompted the town to develop the ordinance and new licensing mechanism for shooting ranges in town.

In short, evaluator Rick LaRosa said the walls and berms at the club are not enough to provide complete shot containment, which is also required by the ordinance. And because a phased improvement plan does not include overhead baffling, it would not provide the containment necessary for the club to operate safely.

The Firing Range Committee, charged with recommending shooting-range licenses to the Town Council, reviewed the club's application in June and has recommended licensure. A public hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 14, after which the council will decide whether the club's application meets the standards of the shooting range ordinance.

Along with their recommendation, the Firing Range Committee also recommended councilors ask LaRosa about the club's phased plan for shot containment, and how plans compare to standards established by the National Rifle Association.

"The design that they were proposing was not as is recommended by the NRA," LaRosa said. "And it's not how we practice range design right now."

LaRosa's company, R Design Works, is an architectural and engineering firm headquartered in in Kennesaw, Ga., with national experience in gun range design and consultation.

LaRosa's written report, received by the town July 23, recommended suspension of live fire until shot containment is achieved. Town officials ordered that suspension on July 24.

While current and planned conditions fail to meet containment standards, LaRosa said shot containment is possible. "I think they are doing lots of things that are needed as far as the overall gestalt of the plan, but they need some bigger elements in terms of overhead containment," he said. "They've got a good start but (the plan) is not complete."

He suggested starting with baffles to contain shots at the 25-meter range, then graduating to the 50- and 100-meter range. A plan could be developed in time for the public hearing, he said, and the smaller phase could be completed in a month. Build out could take up to six months, he estimated. He also estimated a cost of $750,000 to $1 million to complete such a plan.

Earlier this summer, club president Tammy Walter, also a resident of Sawyer Road, said the club had spent approximately $60,000 on improvements since last year. Renovations were about 60 percent complete, with major upgrades to be finished in about three years, past president Mark Mayone said in July.

At the council's meeting Aug. 10, both gun club officials said they believed the evaluation has and will make the club stronger. "Our intention is and always has been to have a facility that is safe and all of us can be proud of," said Walter, who also thanked community members for their support and encouragement. Mayone said he may not agree with some of the points of the evaluation, "but I do believe that the range evaluation will make us stronger going forward," he said.

One other speaker, Eric Stephanus of Tiger Lily Lane, in the neighboring Cross Hill subdivision, congratulated the council for insisting on a professional evaluation before reviewing the license application. "It is extremely refreshing to hear a fact-based analysis from a professional range evaluator," he said. "I hope you make a determination on the application based on the facts," Stephanus said.