The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
City police, FBI upgrade shared firing range
MIDDLETOWN — A final plans review is underway for renovations to the firearms training area shared by the Middletown Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation, a project that could cost as much as $3 million.
Upgrades to the Dingwall-Horan Joint Firearms Training Facility, at 260 Meriden Road, near the Middlefield line, are intended to mitigate noise for surrounding neighborhoods, and to eliminate the potential for lead contamination in the area, according to Common Councilman Vincent Loffredo,
chairman of the Firing Range Building Committee.
Areas of concern include Tynan Park, Higby Road and Sisk Street, Pleasant View Drive, Northview Drive and Plumb Road, Country Club Road, and
North Stantack Road, which are near the complex.
An agreement has been reached between the city and FBI to split the cost of renovations. The FBI has already allotted $1.5 million to be used for the project, and the city has already received authorization to pursue two bonds worth $750,000 each.
The Common Council had the opportunity to approve a memorandum of agreement with the FBI for the project Tuesday, but voted to table the issue until its Sept. 15 meeting so the agency can
further review the plan, Loffredo said.
Other than that, the city and committee are ready to go. “It’s a work in progress, but we’re substantially there,” Loffredo said.
He said the FBI may choose to restart the process and pursue a new design, but the money will be there even if a final plan isn’t approved before the end of the FBI’s fiscal year in October. Loffredo said the federal agency wants to be absolutely certain there will be no lead contamination in the area.
“It’s a health and safety issue that’s holding everything up,” Loffredo said. “We’re not interested in building a facility that will cause health problems.”
The firing range was opened in 1982 for use by local police. In 2008, the department established a memorandum of understanding with the FBI, allowing them to access the training area for at least 52 days of the year to conduct practice.
“It’s been a good working relationship,” Loffredo said.
Since that original MOU was established, the area around the facility has been developed, including residential homes, which has led to the need for upgrades.
If the FBI is satisfied with the current plan, then the project could be approved at a special meeting of the Common Council Sept. 15.