BENTONVILLE -- Benton County planners set May 20 for a public hearing on a request for late afternoon and nighttime shooting hours at a gun range near Centerton.
The request from Lonesome Oak Guns & Range at 2106 W. Centerton Blvd. is set for the Planning Board's 6 p.m. May 20 meeting after a review by the Board's Technical Advisory Committee on Wednesday.
Planning Appeals Board
Benton County approved the operation of the Nighthawk Custom Training Academy in 2012 after an initial denial by the Planning Board was appealed. The county’s appeals panel unanimously approved a plan requiring the operation to conform to National Rifle Association guidelines regarding safety berms surrounding the shooting area; to work with the Planning Department to plan a noise buffer; satisfy county requirements for emergency access to the site, follow a plan for lead abatement and limit shooting hours to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.The county’s planning staff reported Wednesday those stipulations have been met.
Source: Staff Report
The business changed names at the end of 2014, according to Kathleen Kinyon, who applied for the extended hours. The business is seeking to extend it hours of operation to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. for members and from 7 a.m. to midnight for law enforcement agencies.
Kinyon said the range is used by officers from several area law enforcement agencies -- listing the Benton County Sheriff's Office, prosecuting attorney's office and Springdale Police Department's SWAT team -- and those agencies have indicated a need for nighttime training hours.
Capt. Andy Lee with the Sheriff's Office said the special operations division needs a facility for nighttime training.
"Low light and nighttime exercises are crucial to these guys," Lee said.
Sheriff Kelley Cradduck said before the meeting training is essential and the impact on neighbors should be minimal.
"The times would be few and far between that we would shoot at night," Cradduck said. "Training is paramount to what we do. That range is set up and built unlike any other in this area."
Cradduck said he hopes a compromise can be reached to accommodate the needs of his officers and the concerns of neighbors.
"I get that," Cradduck said of the objections to the nighttime shooting. "We will use good common sense when utilizing the range. The bottom line is you're going to react how you train. That training could be the difference in having lives saved."
Several residents of the area attended Wednesday's meeting and spoke during the public comment period of the board's public hearing. Those who spoke opposed the extended hours and questioned the planning process for allowing the request after the hours were set during the 2012 appeal. They also asked the board to evaluate the business's compliance with stipulations included in the appeals board's decision.
"I am not happy that the range is there, but we have a process and we have had to live with the decision allowing the gun range," Bob Bland said. "I ask that you not only leave the hours the way they are, but to also use this opportunity to evaluate that the stipulations in the original decision have been met."
Kathy Schlegel, another neighbor, said she sees the gun range from her home and hears the shooting every day and has "come to terms with it" as it has been allowed to operate. She also asked the request for extended hours be denied.
"We have learned to live with the 8 to 5 hours," she said. "Anything more is a lot to ask from this community."
NW News on 05/07/2015