STEPHENVILLE, N.L. — Clyde Russell usually finishes projects he starts and two years into working on a rifle range for Stephenville, he’s thinking it could be another year or two to become reality.
It got a step closer at a Stephenville town council on Thursday.
Council adopted two amendments to its municipal plan to accommodate a safety area located in the town’s well head protected area.
Russell said the plan is to construct a shooting range complex in the Town of Stephenville’s latest landfill site, which closed in 2012.
The complex would include a 600-metre rifle range and a 50-metre pistol and shotgun range.
Russell said its use would be for military and law-enforcement personnel who use a side arm or firearms during their duties.
Also, licensed members of the public who are registered members of a gun club could use the facility.
Russell said the proposed shooting range is taking a long time because of the rezoning of that area for the extended safety areas.
He explained that all bullets should impact in the earthen backstop. However, in the unlikely event of a ricochet or some other reason for a bullet exiting the area in would impact in that danger area template.
“That’s not likely to happen,” Russell said. “But its safety first where firearms are involved.”
He said the next step in the process is approval for the environmental assessment, which will take place when the zoning is complete.
To go ahead, the Stephenville town council made amendments on Thursday to its town plan, part of which includes the Kippens Well Head Protected Water Supply area, which falls within the Stephenville municipal boundary.
If the shooting range happens there will be no construction or development take place in the safety zone and no hunting permitted, with signs posted indicating such.
Russell vows he will continue working on the project, as long as it takes.
Resolution to Adopt Town of Stephenville Municipal Plan Amendment No. 5, 2018
To allow portions of two delineated safety areas for the proposed Stephenville shooting range complex to be located within the Kippens Well Head Protected Water Supply Area. To add target shooting ranges as a discretionary use, and add: “The only component of a shooting range that council may permit is a safety area for a shooting field that is located outside a Well Head Protected Area. No other physical development related to a shooting range will be permitted within a Well Head Protected Area. In addition, any proposed development will be subject to applicable Federal and Provincial laws and regulations, as well as any other conditions deemed necessary by council.”
Resolution to Adopt Town of Stephenville Development Regulations Amendment No. 9, 2018
Under the authority of Section 23 of the Urban and Rural Planning Act 2000, the Town Council of Stephenville adopt Municipal Plan Amendment No. 9, 2018.
This is enacted to comply with Amendment No. 5 to the Stephenville Municipal Plan. The purpose is to provide council authority to allow the safety areas for a proposed target shooting range to be developed in the Kippens Well Head Protected Water Supply Area zone, includes the following changes: “to add target shooting range as a discretionary use and add shooting range to a list of conditions to include “A safety area is the only component of a shooting range complex that may be permitted in the Well Head Protected Water Supply Area Kippens zone.”
