Jefferson County discusses using jail-adjacent timber sale to fund shooting range after municipal range closure

Jefferson County council members and law enforcement representatives discussed using proceeds from timber harvested on county property adjacent to the jail to help fund a new indoor shooting range and tactical training center after Mayor Courtney announced the municipal firing range will close May 1.

Speakers said the idea remains in early planning. "It would be more of like a tactical training center than theoretically a gun range," Ben (role/title not specified) said, listing uses such as pepper-ball and less-lethal munitions training, Taser instruction, K-9 exercises, vehicle-extrication drills and classroom instruction.

The proposal, as described at the public-comment portion of the Feb. 11 meeting, would repurpose part of the wooded land northeast of the jail. Speakers suggested storing county maintenance equipment at one end of a new multiuse building and locating outdoor shooting lines and a bermed backstop on cleared ground at the rear of the parcel. One participant said loggers had given an estimated revenue figure for a harvest; the transcript records the quoted amount as "between $3,035,000 dollars," but the meeting did not provide further documentary detail on that estimate.

Why it matters: county and municipal law-enforcement agencies rely on local ranges for officer qualification and training. With the municipal range scheduled to close May 1, speakers said Jefferson County officers now travel to other counties for training; one participant referenced a range in Ripley County used by state police and corrections personnel. Proponents said a training center co-located with county facilities would reduce travel, provide expanded training options and could be opened to the public on limited days to recover costs if insurance and liability issues allowed.

Speakers repeatedly emphasized the planning stage and the need for additional study and public input. Several residents and meeting participants asked for public meetings so neighbors can comment; one speaker noted residents of The Meadows, Galloway on Seventh Street and other nearby subdivisions had already contacted council members with concerns. A council member said the county's Department of Natural Resources and the Army Corps of Engineers had visited the proposed footprint and indicated the specific site under discussion would likely avoid wetlands, reducing one permitting hurdle.

Cost, design and timeline were not resolved. Officials discussed range design options including dirt berms and engineered bullet traps; speakers noted that dirt backstops can require costly lead-contaminated soil removal later, while bullet traps allow removal of concentrated lead. Attendees said insurance, liability and lead-mitigation costs need detailed analysis before a public-use fee or public-access policy could be adopted.

Logistics and next steps remained informal at the meeting: speakers urged public meetings and additional site and cost studies. No formal vote or motion to pursue the project was recorded during the meeting; comments in favor and concerns from nearby residents were entered during the public-comment period.

Votes at a glance - Motion to approve minutes from the Feb. 11 meeting: motion made and seconded; chair called for aye and the motion passed. (Mover/second not specified by name in the transcript.) - Motion to adjourn: motion made and seconded; chair called for aye and the motion passed.

Ending: County officials and law-enforcement representatives said they are at an early planning phase and expect further staff work, environmental checks and public meetings before any formal decision about site selection, design, funding or public use is made.