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Sheriff gets approval for wetland and engineering studies as first step toward county gun range
Summary
County commissioners authorized up to $7,500 for a wetland delineation and up to $8,000 for engineering to calculate stormwater storage as preliminary steps to assess feasibility of an outdoor gun range adjacent to the sheriff's facility.
The Porter County sheriff told commissioners May 19 that finding consistent training ranges for deputies and jail staff has become more difficult and that an on‑site outdoor range would help qualification and training needs. The board voted to authorize two professional service agreements: a wetland determination/delineation with Soil Solutions (not to exceed $7,500) and engineering services with Avon Marsh (not to exceed $8,000) to calculate stormwater volume and determine whether range construction is feasible on county property east of the jail.
Sheriff's office staff said the site sits in an industrial area and is not near residences, and noted prior discussions about alternative locations. Commissioners asked staff to explore funding options, including leftover bond funds, and to return with the wetland results and engineering analysis. During discussion the sheriff provided a rough, preliminary ballpark of total construction cost around $750,000, but both the sheriff and commissioners said that figure is preliminary and depends on site constraints.
Commissioners approved the professional services motions by voice vote; a follow‑up item to identify funding and next procedural steps was discussed for a future meeting.
