ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, August 8, 1996 TAG: 9608080060
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
Charles Overfelt fears that an outdoor police firing range near his neighborhood could threaten safety, create noise and traffic problems, devalue his property and cause lead contamination in Carvins Cove and private wells.
He said he has another fear, too.
He's worried that residents of the secluded Timberview Road community in northern Roanoke County might be powerless to prevent the development of the firing range despite their objections.
"We are a small neighborhood. We don't have much [political clout]," Overfelt said at a meeting Wednesday night.
"What's the chance of this thing being shoved down our throats anyway, despite how we feel?" he asked several Roanoke officials and the county's planning director.
Terry Harrington, the county's planning chief, assured Overfelt and about 25 of his neighbors that the county Board of Supervisors is sensitive to residents' concerns.
"I don't think anything is going to be shoved down on anyone," Harrington said.
Roanoke plans to develop the range on city-owned land at Carvins Cove. It would be required to obtain a special-use permit from the Board of Supervisors for the facility. Harrington's office would review the city's request and make a recommendation to county officials.
George Snead, Roanoke's director of public safety, said residents have raised legitimate questions about the proposal and "we will make every effort to answer them."
Snead, Police Chief M. David Hooper and several other city officials met with the residents to provide background information and details about the proposed range on nearly 9 acres at the end of Timberview Road.
Snead said city officials understand that residents have strong feelings about the proposal, but he didn't say whether the opposition might cause the city to abandon the site.
Earlier this week, City Council delayed action on seeking the special-use permit. It referred the issue back to a council committee and asked the committee to investigate an offer by a Roanoke attorney of an alternative approach that has not been detailed.
In the meantime, Snead said, city officials also will meet with county officials to determine what alternative sites might be available.
The county had planned to participate in development of the firing range near Carvins Cove, but it dropped out of the project when its share of the costs rose. The county is beginning to look more closely at putting a firing range elsewhere.
Snead and Hooper sought to ease the residents' fears about the proposed range, saying it would not threaten safety or disrupt the neighborhood. City officials said noise tests have shown residents would not hear the gunfire.
The firing ranges - there would be two pistol ranges and one rifle range - would be erected with 20-foot earthen berms on the target ends to ensure safety and 8-foot berms on either side. Because the guns would be fired into berms, some residents worry that lead from the bullets could drain into Carvins Cove and wells.
But Kit Kiser, director of utilities for the city, said a monitoring system would be installed to make sure that no lead got into the water supply.
The residents weren't convinced by the city's arguments on lead or other issues, however.
"To us, it is an encroachment on our serene way of life," said Frank Sherman, who lives on Timberview Road. "We will hear weapons, have more traffic and other problems. Our style of life will change."
The firing range would be about 11/2 miles from Loch Haven Lake, a private swimming resort owned by Sky Preece. He told city officials that the sound of gunfire would disrupt the peace and quiet of the resort and could cause it to lose so many members that it might close.
Loch Haven has about 200 families, and many members like to take hikes through the woods, Preece said. The gunfire could frighten them and cause them to drop their memberships, he said.
"It could put us out of business," Preece said, adding that several thousand people also come to Loch Haven each year for picnics and other outings.
LENGTH: Medium: 79 linesby CNB