OTISFIELD — A firearms training company withdrew its site-plan application for a proposed outdoor shooting range off Station Road on Tuesday.
The Weaponcraft plan was withdrawn after a Planning Board hearing at the Community Hall where townspeople objected to the project.
Maureen Mooney-Howard said she did not feel that the pit near Spurs Corner was an appropriate site for the business.
“I’m not a foe of people’s gun rights, and I’m thrilled you make a successful living through Weaponcraft,” Mooney-Howard said, adding that the noise from the site would “adversely” affect residents’ way of living.
She pointed out that her house is situated seven-tenths of a mile from the pit, and that she can hear gunshots fired from it.
“I don’t agree that the sound tests done at the site walk reflect how loud the gunshots will be,” Mooney-Howard said.
Uel Gardner, a majority partner of Weaponcraft, said that when the company chose a sound engineer to measure the decibel level of gunshots at the range, “we chose a day where cloud cover was such that it would be the worst-case scenario. That was chosen out of respect. We’re not trying to pull anything over on anybody.”
He said the company was founded in 1993 and that the “idea of Weaponcraft is to provide the best training possible for law enforcement, civilians and military contractors.”
He said Weaponcraft, in addition to providing firearms training, provides trauma care and first aid training and works with first responders and ATV clubs on safety training.
Gardner said that the property was used as a pit more than two decades ago, but has been used primarily as a private shooting range for the past 20 years.
Station Road is off White Oak Hill Road.
He said one of the goals of Weaponcraft in setting up in Otisfield was to start a competitive youth shooting program and develop several teams from around Oxford County.
Gardner said the shooting range would not be used during the winter and would be used between six and 10 days per month, for anywhere between four and eight hours a day.
He added that he would be improving the safety of the range’s impact area by surrounding it with NRA-standard berms.
Mooney-Howard asked Gardner whether he had looked at other sites in the area.
Gardner said the company had looked at 15 to 20 locations in Western and Southern Maine, and that the pit in Otisfield was the best fit.
He said the property that Weaponcraft has been using to date “is technically on the same piece of property that abuts where the pit is now.”
He added, “We’ve been training there for the past several years, and during the time we were there, we did not have any noise complaints. We call the Sheriff’s Office and let them know that we’ll be there, and let them know to call us immediately if there are any issues.”
Gardner added that he could have people in the area put on an email list to let them know when the firing range would be used.
After residents shared their concerns about the range for more than an hour, Gardner said he was “not trying to shove this down your throat,” and offered to withdraw the application.
“I proposed this to the Planning Board, but I have heard what you said,” he said. “I am affected when you tell me I don’t care. I’ll prove it. I’ll pull my application. I understand what you’re saying. I get it. I don’t want to be a bad neighbor, and I don’t want you all to hate me. We were looking to see if it’ll work, and it seems like it’s not going to work, so I’ll pull the application.”