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Sound barriers not enough
at Maplewood gun range
Submitted by admin1 on Wed, 02/18/2015 - 8:55am
By: Erin Hinrichs
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When Sue Vento walks her dogs every morning and evening all ears stand alert for the sound of gunfire coming from a
nearby shooting range.
About four blocks south of her condo, area law enforcement officials train at an outdoor facility, firing assault rifles with
enough explosive force to unnerve those within earshot. For Vento and her dogs, the noise can be overwhelming, sending
them home early to escape the clamor.
A Maplewood resident of 13 years, Vento, wife of the late congressman Bruce Vento, says the unwelcome soundtrack that
characterizes her daily walks has become more intense over the years and is affecting residents' lives in many ways.
As a former elementary teacher, she's also concerned about the wellbeing of kids in the neighborhood who hear the crack -
crack -crack of semi -automated weapons as they wait at their bus stops.
"I think that's a really tough way for kids, regardless of their age, to start their day," she says.
While Vento says she understands the importance of having well-trained officers, she's frustrated with what she sees as a
slow and ineffective response from policy makers and police. Even plans to construct a second sound barrier wall, she says,
won't fully mitigate the noise.
At the Feb. 9 City Council meeting, Maplewood city officials approved the allocation of $10,000 toward construction of a
second sound barrier wall along the eastern side of the range, located at 2621 Linwood Ave. The city of St. Paul has agreed
to secure financing for the remainder of the estimated $30,000 project, says Maplewood Police Chief Paul Schnell. However,
critics maintain that this new 13 -foot -tall concrete structure will fall short of resolving the issue.
While conversations between police, city officials and residents began long before Mayor Nora Slawik came into office, she
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has been tracking the issue closely. Some would like to see the range shut down altogether. Others are pushing to have it
converted to an indoor facility. Either way, she supports the need to explore a more long-term solution.
"[Residents] represent this view of `it's not enough,"' says Slawik of feedback on the second sound wall. "I think that,
ultimately, we need to look at a solution that works for the neighbors and for those police departments that use the gun
range."
A noisy necessity
Ramsey County owns the land where the range is located, but the city of St. Paul signed a 99 -year lease in 1974 to operate
the facility. It's available to more than than 34 agencies to use for training and certification, including the Maplewood police
department.
Inside the range, officers engage in simulation exercises that prepare them for situations they may encounter in their line of
duty. In addition to standard shooting range areas, the property includes a mock village and space for vehicles that are
brought in so officers can practice shooting from behind car doors. These outdoor areas allow officers to practice cold -
weather shooting, one of the requirements for certification, Schnell says.
Over the years, police agencies have grown in size and supplemented handguns with assault rifles, in response to modern
safety concerns. Some of these new weapons, Schnell says, are louder.
"The weapons system that we're using, especially some of the rifles and stuff, are put in place in response to some of these
incidents that are low frequency, but high risk," he says.
"We're talking about a shooting at a movie theater or school."
Many of the weapons, as well as other gear, come from a program in which the Defense Department transfers surplus
equipment to state and local agencies. For instance, St. Paul police, Ramsey County sheriffs deputies and other police
departments received M1 6s that were modified into semi-automatic AR1 5s from the surplus.
All parties seem to agree that there's a real need for training opportunities for law enforcement officials. They just hold
different opinions on what constitutes an appropriate facility.
Difference over years
Longtime resident John Donofrio has served as a community liaison for concerned neighbors for the past 14 years. He
remembers sitting on lounge chairs on his property with his wife to survey the shooting before purchasing it. Back then, he
says, the sound of pistols fired on occasion didn't keep people indoors.
"We're not opposed to the police," he stresses, before laying out his stipulations. "If they want to leave it there, it should either
be enclosed, or it needs to be located where there are not people living right next to it."
Donofrio says the current intensity of the gunshots hampers people's ability to work from home, negatively impacts property
values, raises environmental concerns and has grown increasingly intrusive.
"That's pretty abusive," he says of the noise levels. "Animals have to hear that all day long. It's little kids that have to grown up
hearing gun shots."
While the noise bothers residents year-round, he says it's amplified in the summer, when they have their windows open.
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"That would be like someone standing in your front yard shooting assault rifles," he says.
Donofrio also speculates that lead from bullets fired into the ground at the range may be contaminating ground water. But
without proof, policy makers continue to focus on noise mitigation —the most obvious irritant.
Schnell hopes that another sound barrier wall, originally approved at the recommendation of a noise engineer when the first
wall went up in 2012, will help alleviate tensions for now. The new wall will help force sound up, rather than out into the
surrounding communities, he explains.
"I get numerous calls, especially during the spring, fall, summer, when people have their windows open and want to do
outdoor activities," he says. "We've had a range of meetings with residents to try and talk about some of the options. In part,
this stems from those efforts."
Long-term solutions
Given the regional value of the shooting range in Maplewood, local policy makers mediating between concerned residents
and area police have captured the attention of state legislators.
Schnell says he's working with members of the St. Paul police department to see if there's a way to either relocate training to
another range entirely or to utilize another range to cut down on hours of operation at the Maplewood range. The feasibilty of
either alternative, he says, depends upon funding from the state Legislature.
"We know that a regional solution is not going to happen with the snap of a finger," he says. "It's going to take time, planning,
finding a site, putting together all the dollars, determining what ownership will look like."
Ramsey County Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt agrees that the new sound wall isn't a "be-all, end-all" solution.
"We (Ramsey County) have been working on the idea of an indoor range and are supporting the city of St. Paul and their
request for funding," she says, noting the decision ultimately lies with the state, which allocates funding for projects of this
scope.
In a separate initiative, Slawik hopes a proposed facility with an indoor range to be built nearby in Cottage Grove or
Woodbury will help alleviate traffic at the Maplewood range. The proposed $19,900,000 Health and Emergency Response
Occupations Center calls for nearly $1.5 million in state bond funds, which was approved in the 2014 Legislative session.
Once constructed, the HERO Center would serve as a regional resource for medical response and law enforcement training
and certification.
"This new center hopefully would allow the shooting schedule at the south Maplewood range to be reduced, which would
alleviate the critical gunshot noise concerns of our residents that live near the range," says Slawik.
While plans to construct a second sound barrier wall at the Maplewood range are shaping up in the short term, residents stay
vigilant fora more appealing long-term solution.
"I don't feel like there's any sense of urgency by anyone except for the residents who live there," Vento says. "I don't expect
an immediate resolution, but I want to know there's a plan and a timeline."
Erin Hinrichs can be reached at 651-748-7814 and ehinrichs&1i11ienews.com. Follow her at twitter. com/EHinrichsNews.
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