Shooting range proposed at Idaho Hill site

OLDTOWN — Bonner County is seeking a conditional use permit to establish a shooting range and training area at the Idaho Hill waste collection site for sheriff’s deputies.

The training area will be closed to the public and is expected to be utilized on a monthly basis, according to the permit application.

If granted permit approval, the county plans to construct a 25-foot by 125-foot pole building and a 160-sqaure-foot portable shed.

“This project is expected to have an overall benefit to public services by providing a training area at a relatively low cost,” Solid Waste Director Bob Howard said in the permit application.

The permit application was filed last month. A public hearing on the proposal is pending.

The sheriff’s office intends to use the facilities for marksmanship training and general training, such as clearing out buildings, according to the project’s land capability report.

The county aims to take a two-pronged approach to mitigating noise pollution.

A 21-foot-tall embankment will be erected and will encompass the southern half of the training area. An 200-foot embankment wall consisting of tires and gravel will be constructed at the northerly section, which will act as a sound and projectile barrier, the land capability report said.

Ample setbacks will also encircle the training area. It would be located 800 feet from the collection site and the proposed top of the embankment is located 100 feet from the westerly property line and approximately 174 feet from the southerly property line. The project is located approximately 370 feet from the state border and approximately 620 feet from the nearest residential structure on the Idaho side of the line.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.