STURGIS, S.D. – After nearly two years of debate, the Meade County Commission Tuesday approved an application from the Game, Fish and Parks to build a shooting range north of Rapid City.
The South Dakota Shooting Parks Complex has been under heavy scrutiny from many area landowners, who have worried about safety, noise pollution, road maintenance, decreasing property value and other concerns.
The complex is being built in a rural area off Elk Vale Road.
The commissioners asked Game, Fish, and Parks officials a series of questions from the motivation for the project to what precautions they will take to prevent inconvenience to surrounding neighbors.
John Kanta with the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks says a lot of their planning in this range came down to providing the public a safe place to shoot.
Back in October, the Commission drafted a shooting range ordinance in response to the proposed $10 million shooting range complex. The ordinance was devised using National Rifle Association guidelines and county ordinances in other locations.
The application was approved on a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Gary Deering voting no.
Game, Fish, and Parks say they expect to break ground on construction in May and to open the facility in October of next year.
