A public hearing will be held at the Mountain View County office on Aug. 14 regarding a controversial shooting range west of Olds,
During the June 26 regularly scheduled council meeting, councillors passed first reading of a bylaw that would redesignate a 20-acre parcel west of Olds from agriculture district to parks and recreation district.
The parcel would be the location of a pistol and rifle shooting range owned by the Mountain View Marksman's Association.
The association closed an original shooting range at the site after neighbours complained about noise levels, which, in turn, lead Mountain View County to institute a noise control bylaw in May 2011.
The association says it proposes to take measures to address concerns, including putting in publicly stated and enforced range hours of operation, building enhanced berms, constructing ‘eyebrow' overhangs on shoot sheds, installing sound deadening materials inside the shoot sheds, reducing the number of stands to shoot from, limiting membership, and undertaking dust control efforts.
When considering the new bylaw and setting the Aug. 14 public hearing date, councillors also received a number of letters in support and opposition to the range reopening.
In a letter of support, area resident Harold Ross called on council to approve the redesignation.
“I hope you look at this range as an advantage to the Olds area,” said Ross.
In a letter of opposition, area resident Joel Thompson said, in part, “We do not believe that this application provides sufficient evidence that the proposed noise abatement measures will be effective.”
