Testimony given on plans for rifle range in Dunbar Township
The head of the company that wants to operate a commercial shooting range in Dunbar Township said Wednesday that future clients could include law enforcement officers and private citizens.
Sean Miller, CEO of Washington Security Group Inc., testified before the Fayette County Zoning Hearing Board regarding a special exception request to operate the rifle range on property owned by Joseph Cellurale Jr.
The rifle range was previously cited for operating illegally. Cellurale then appealed the citation and later applied for two special exceptions that would allow the security group to operate a commercial school for armed self-defense with target shooting.
The site is located near the historic Issac Meason House and the Joseph A. Hardy/Connellsville Airport. The citation arose after complaints were made by Meason House owners Terry and Diane Kriss.
After a citation was issued, the zoning board heard testimony in April on the issue without concluding and rendering a decision.
The two requests were filed for special exceptions in the zoning ordinance under commercial school for “non-academic instruction in armed self-defense with outdoor target shooting” and all other uses in line with armed self-defense outdoor target shooting and instructional area.
The land is zoned agricultural and airport hazard overlay.
Testimony on the commercial school was presented following a discussion among attorneys for Cellurale/Washington Security Group, the Krisses and Fayette County.
The fact that the property has a dual zoning classification was the topic of discussion before the hearing began.
Leslie Mlaker, attorney for the Krisses, argued that the commercial school wouldn’t be permitted because it isn’t allowed in an agricultural zone and the airport hazard overlay special exception provision wouldn’t apply. However, David Toll, attorney for Cellurale/Washington Security, said it is allowed under special exception in the airport hazard overlay and the hearing should be allowed to proceed.
Zoning board solicitor Gretchen Mundorff agreed with Toll’s assessment and allowed the hearing to start.
Miller provided drawings of the site, which he said includes four potential entrances. He said the National Rifle Association surveyed the site for range safety and deemed it safe, and the person who conducted the survey could be made available by telephone at a future hearing.
Miller explained that his defense contracting firm’s contracts are for governmental employees going overseas to prepare them to protect themselves. The courses include firearms training and driving training. Miller said they would like to expand operations to train law enforcement personnel and private citizens, but it only would be done in classes of 10 to 15 people, and the range wouldn’t be open to the general public.
He said shooting at the range includes mostly handguns and the courses are certified by the U.S. Department of Defense and certificates of completion are given.
Hours would be 8?a.m. to 5?p.m. weekdays. Miller said the school averages four days a month, and about 3,000 shots are fired each day.
Miller said he would be happy if the school doubles its business.
In response to a question about how far a bullet from a 9mm handgun would travel, Miller said it would travel 5,100 feet, but added that the embankment and woods behind the targets would keep bullets from hitting anything.
He said it would be almost impossible to hit the Meason House. Miller said the range is 61 feet lower than the Meason House and shooting is done in the opposite direction.
The range, which includes 10 targets, has a 20-foot dirt embankment behind it and a hillside that extends up and beyond the end of the targets into a wooded area.
While the noise level is 115 decibels at the site of the gun when shooting, Miller said the range could meet the 90-decibel maximum requirement at neighboring property lines because of the berms that are in place now and those that would be put in place.
Shooting is primarily at targets 75 feet away.
At the prior hearing, Sue Martin, zoning technician for the county Office of Planning, Zoning and Community Development, testified that she issued a citation to the Cellurales after seeing a photograph of the site with nine or 10 shooting targets on it. Along with the citation, Martin said she included information about how the Cellurales could come into compliance with the zoning ordinance by getting a special exception for a rifle range.
Miller said the firm also uses the South Connellsville Rod and Gun Club to shoot, but that site gets busy at certain times during the year.
The hearing was continued until 10?a.m. Wednesday, July 27, at the public safety building.