neighbors shoot down gun range plan

For the complete story, read the Fauquier-Times Democrat

They painted a dark picture of the damage Fauquier’s proposed public safety training center near Warrenton would do to them.

Noise, smoke, traffic, lead contamination and the possibility of stray gunfire from the center would create safety problems, devalue property and make homes impossible to sell, argue neighbors who live near the proposed site on Green Road.

Adjacent to Fauquier’s landfill, the site initially would include a 16-lane shooting range, a three-story burn-building and vehicle crash simulation site. Future plans call for a water tower and a classroom building.

The county board of supervisors wants special-exception permit approval for the 18-acre center, which would be built in phases.

Fauquier needs the center "to make sure we have high-quality [public safety] services," Deputy County Administrator Tony Hooper told the county planning commission last Thursday during a 60-minute public hearing on the project.