Residents near proposed outdoor shooting range 'very concerned' about noise, impact on property values

Norwalk officials aren't worried about any safety issues concerning a proposed outdoor shooting range. But residents and council members have raised a lot of questions about how much noise it will generate.Gunners Haven would be on Laylin Road in Ward 2, which is overseen by Councilman Dave Wallace.Based on the feedback from his Ward 2 constituents, Wallace said they're not in favor of the shooting range. They "are very concerned about the noise" and what Gunners Haven could do to nearby property values, he said."I think it would be great to have an indoor range," said Wallace, who has his concealed-carry permit. "I have all kinds of guns. I'm a pro-Second Amendment person."If Gunners Haven were an indoor shooting range, Wallace said there would be more support since there hardly would be any noise. Wallace recently organized a sound test with four residents involving Norwalk Police Capt. Mike Conney firing 10 rounds of blanks from a shotgun at the proposed site of Gunners Haven. Wallace, Chief Dave Light and the residents listened at the new housing development on Old Orchard Loop, which extends the Whitefield allotment."We stood in the development listening," Wallace said. "There was no doubt you were hearing gunfire.""It is my understanding we're talking about a very particular parcel on Laylin," said Councilman Chris Castle, who represents Ward 4.Castle's constituents won't be impacted by the noise from Gunners Haven."Ward 4 will never deal with that (noise) issue. I was elected by people in this neighborhood who won't be affected by it," he added. "I don't have a horse in this race. My constituents don't have a horse in this race."However, Castle is a lifelong musician who has done a lot of work in the recording studio, so he offered his expertise on sound. He also has been to shooting ranges similar to Gunners Haven, which will be owned by Jeremy Norris."I've dealt with sound all my life. I understand how sound travels," Castle said.A fired handgun generates about 110 decibels. Castle said the noise ordinances throughout Norwalk is set at 70 decibels, so any residential and business districts should be OK with that during certain hours. Council members and city residents have expressed concern about how much noise will be heard from Gunners Haven, which will be in a manufacturing district."Eight hours of 80 decibels can cause hearing loss," Castle said. "The safety issue is a non-issue. I don't think anyone in their right mind is worried about any stray bullets getting out of the shooting range."Norwalk Mayor Rob Duncan said his biggest concern is safety."Everything I've heard from a safety perspective is it's good," he said.Gunners Haven is being built according to the standards in the NRA Range Source Book. Light has said the manual is concerned about safety, but "there's not a lot in there about noise."Describing Gunners HavenCity officials again described their understanding for what Gunners Haven will be."It's like an alley. The end of it is open. But it keeps your artillery from going out," Duncan said.The facility will include baffles at the top of the structure — as required by the NRA Range Source Book. The mayor and Castle said the baffles won't just deflect bullets, but also dampen noise."I'm not worried about a bullet getting out of the range," Light told council Tuesday.Castle provided his impression of Gunners Haven based on what he's seen and visited near interstates and manufacturing districts. He equated the baffles with awnings on an outdoor garage where a person would park a vehicle."It's not a building. It's an outdoor range that has to be built to the standards of the NRA Range Source Book," he said.Ballistic, concrete walls are expected to be built on the sides. The walls will be on top of earth-made berms."It's like a mound of dirt, except elongated," Castle said.Norris, the owner, earlier shared his vision for the future of Gunners Haven with the Reflector. He couldn't be reached for comment Thursday."The outdoor portion is just the beginning at this point. When all is said and done, we plan on having an indoor range with a retail store and also a walled training area that will have a mock city block inside for police training as well as simulation and paintball wars," Norris said earlier this month.Positive feedback — but will it happen?Duncan and Castle said the biggest objections they have heard about the shooting range is how much noise will be generated, yet residents generally are in favor of having Gunners Haven in the city. The mayor said if the range was located in the nearby township, the city would have no influence over noise and the hours it would be open.Councilman Steve Schumm has said he wants to the proposed hours that Gunners Haven would be open — 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. — shortened."Eight hours of shooting is fine by me," he told council Tuesday.Castle has heard a lot of positive feedback about the potential range."The people of Norwalk are overwhelmingly in support of this," the council member said. "The closer you get to the (second) ward, the bigger pushback there has been."Due to these objections and questions over noise, Castle said council has spent more time on those issues than he anticipated. "There are more reservations than I expected to see," he added.The ordinances about Gunners Haven and allowing conditional usage for the shooting range remain tabled. Council has scheduled a public hearing March 28.When it's all said and done, Castle expects council to pass OK the shooting range."I think it passes," he said.Wallace, who represents the second ward where Gunners Haven wants to be, has a different opinion. He said he doesn't think his constituents are willing to hear gunfire for throughout the day."I hope it doesn't pass for the sake of the residents who live there," he said. "I hope not. I don't know what the other council members will do."Also, Wallace said there's the tension between risk vs. reward — of opening "a very small business" with one possible employee and the impact on the new housing development."I'm still keeping an open mind. They think it's great (having a shooting range), but they don't want it in their back yard."WallaceCastleDuncanNorris