Springfield restricts shooting range

The Springfield Police Department’s shooting range on Brockway Mills Road will be only for the local police from now on.
http://rutlandherald.com/article/20141112/NEWS02/711129931

PHOTO BY LEN EMERY Empty ammunition boxes, plastic drums and old tires litter the Springfield Police Department shooting range on Brockway Mills Road. Published November 12, 2014 in the Rutland Herald Springfield restricts shooting range By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Police Department’s shooting range on Brockway Mills Road will be only for the local police from now on. The Springfield Select Board voted Monday to restrict access to the shooting range, which will in effect ban the Department of Corrections and the Vermont State Police from the range. The board agreed to erect a gate to the range instead of a simple cable, and post ‘no trespassing’ signs to discourage unauthorized use as well. The board took action Monday night after hearing from neighbors of the small shooting range, who said the noise from the range was becoming unbearable and was no longer a very part-time range, located in a former gravel pit. Neighbor John “Jay” Maciejowski told the Select Board that the range was being used by individuals not affiliated with any law enforcement agency, and he said that could mean that the town could be held liable in the event of an accident. He said the range was in a rural residential area, and the increasing noise was very disruptive, and during October, the use of the range had “come to a head.” Maciejowski said there were five straight days of shooting, and some neighbors compared the situation to “living in a war zone.” He said there were 32 state-certified shooting ranges in the state, and he said the state agencies should be using those facilities. Additionally, Maciejowski and his wife, Virginia, said the range did not appear to have any lead-recovery program to keep the lead bullets from contaminating the area and getting into the area groundwater. “Does the town have a management plan?” Maciejowski asked. Springfield Police Chief Douglas Johnston said recent use of the range was by the Department of Corrections. Johnston said a police dispatcher had mistakenly given permission to that agency to use the shooting range, something Johnston said he wouldn’t have approved for four to five days in a row. The police chief said his officers have to be certified for handguns and rifles. He said there was no lead-recovery plan for the range. Maciejowski said that there were other, state-approved shooting ranges in the area, and he questioned why state employees needed to use the local range. Johnston said local police use the range twice a year to maintain certification, but, he said, some of the range work included after-hours shooting since police need to practice for nighttime shooting. Selectman George McNaughton suggested the police department use the range at the old National Guard Armory on Fairground Road. “We could make some calls,” Johnston said, while saying he wasn’t sure what caliber of weapons the closed armory could handle. Selectman Peter MacGillivray questioned why the town needed to own the land, which comprises about 3 acres. And he suggested that there was plenty of extra space at the state prison in Springfield for a shooting range, since the prison was built in a former gravel pit. “I don’t know why it’s up to us to provide a shooting range for state police and the Department of Corrections,” said Town Manager Robert Forguites. The vote to restrict access was passed on a 4-1 vote, with Chairman Kristi Morris casting a “no” vote, saying the issue hadn’t been properly noticed for a vote. The board voted to have Forguites “caucus” with Johnston about the shooting area, and also a lead recovery plan “if needed.” Morris again voted against it, for the same reasons.