PA Bill Number: HB335
Title: In inchoate crimes, further providing for prohibited offensive weapons.
Description: In inchoate crimes, further providing for prohibited offensive weapons. ...
Last Action: Removed from table
Last Action Date: May 1, 2024
Shenango Township PA makes the right decision on shooting range. :: 08/04/2014
NEW CASTLE — Shenango Township's zoning hearing board unanimously approved a 10-lane indoor shooting range on Butler Road.
Jeremy Baeckel, 28, plans to buy the old Shenango Motel at 2516 Butler Road for the facility and hopes to open in February.
Earlier this year, he had been denied a special exception for a shooting range on the site of a former restaurant at 1500 Old Butler Road because of the residential nature of the area.
But the zoning board unanimously approved Baeckel's request Thursday for his new proposed location, which is in a central business district. Baeckel told the board he has received no objections from the church or carwash on either side of the planned facility. No one spoke against the shooting range at the meeting. The only public comment came from Baeckel's friends and family, who spoke in favor.
Baeckel said he needed the zoning approval before proceeding with purchase of the building.
He said that the shooting range will be built onto the existing U-shaped part of the building by Action Target, Inc., a Provo, Utah, business that has installed thousands of gun ranges in the U.S. and 25 other countries. He said that the range will be soundproofed and the sidewalls filled with concrete block. The back wall will be two-and-a-half feet thick and made of rubber and steel. The range will be capable of withstanding a .50-caliber bullet. He said that a hill behind the backstop "gives us extra protection."
Baeckel said the closest house is 600 yards away and located in the opposite direction from the shooting range.
The facility also will have an archery bay, as well as a retail store selling hunting and outdoor equipment, excluding guns. Also planned is a 50-seat classroom space, where Baeckel hopes to offer firearms classes for women and other groups as well as certification training for local police. The facility would be handicapped accessible, have 50 to 70 parking spaces and be open seven days per week.
Baeckel is a Shenango Township volunteer firefighter and township resident. He has a bachelor's degree in management from Indiana University of Pennsylvania as well as a real estate license and EMS certification. He owns a painting and powerwashing company and works part-time for a local gas station.
Zoning hearing board members John Paolone, Bill Foster, Joe Shevetz and Ted Albertini attended the hearing, along with the board's solicitor, attorney Paula Cialella. The fifth member and chairperson of the group, Madeline Rice, did not attend.
http://www.ncnewsonline.com/local/x1027618383/Shenango-panel-OKs-shooting-range
