Fired up over shooting range plan

Nanjemoy out in force to protest 80-acre proposal

Friday, Feb. 27, 2009

More than 200 people showed up in La Plata on Tuesday evening for a public hearing on a proposal by a regional defense contractor to obtain a special exception that would allow the company to operate a facility in Nanjemoy to conduct firearms and weapons research and offer courses in defensive driving in dangerous situations.

About 50 people signed up to speak at the hearing and the Charles County Board of Zoning and Appeals was forced to continue the session until 7 p.m. March 10 because not everyone who wanted to testify could do so before the 10:30 p.m. cutoff time when the building had to be locked.

WSG Holdings LLC wants the special exception to build a two-story facility on 80 acres off of Liverpool Point Road. The property already contains a 2,400-foot grass runway for small engine airplanes and four aviation support structures, said Sean Miller, the company's CEO. The company acquired the use of the small private airstrip in March 2008 and received approval to change the name of the facility from Parks Airport to Washington Field.

Specifically, WSG wants to operate a driving tactics range and a small-arms firing and research area, Miller said.

Miller told the board that there will be no testing, researching or storing of chemical, biological, nuclear or radiological materials on the site. Rather, he explained, researchers will use materials that "simulate" such agents during chemical and biological forensic investigations.

"When there's an incident we go to the site and collect evidence," he said. "Forensics as related to the chemical and biological scenario is just not as developed. We do applied research on the techniques, procedures and protocol that can be used when collecting evidence.

"We'll have nothing to do with actual live agents," he added. "It will strictly be a benign environment."

"How can you research chemical agents without having the material there to do it?" asked Fred Mower, board chairman.

"Everything is simulated," Miller said. "We deal with liquids, powders and solids that are very, very harmless."

Miller also stressed that no explosives or bombs would be tested at the facility.

The driving tactics range would be constructed to simulate an inner-city scenario complete with traffic circles, side streets and alleys. The course would be set up to teach drivers how to maneuver vehicles containing government officials and diplomats through dangerous situations overseas, Miller said.

The small arms firing and research range would be surrounded by earthen berms on three sides with a baffling system across the top so that bullets would not stray out of the range area, Miller said.

"No bullets will be able to randomly make their way into the woodlands and other areas," he said. "It would be 100 percent contained."

For the most part, 9-mm pistols would be used to train military and government officials on how to use weapons while outfitted with protective equipment such as gloves and gas masks, Miller said. People being trained at the range would also sometimes use shotguns and .223-caliber rifles, he said.

The facility would employ a caretaker, property manager, range manager and events coordinator, Miller said, adding that some local job opportunities would also open up if the facility was built.

Board member Ken Cross asked why the company does not want to locate the facility in an area already zoned for such a use.

"It's not economically feasible for us to do this at our headquarters near Dulles [in Sterling, Va.]," Miller said. "We can't do this out of our office park."

The company also has facilities in Pennsylvania, Wyoming and northern Florida, Miller said.

The facility would be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and will be closed Sunday.

The company must obtain a special exception to operate the facility because the land is in the agricultural conservation zone and has a resource protection overlay zone to preserve wetlands and streams on the property. A county planner referred a question about the number of acres in the overlay zone to the engineering firm Lorenzi, Dodds & Gunnill of Waldorf. The zone contains 15 acres, said E. Scott Burroughs IV, with the company.

The number of acres in the RPZ is preliminary because it is based only on the project's concept plan, Burroughs said.

Nanjemoy residents who attended the hearing said that they were concerned about a variety of issues, including noise that would be generated from the facility, how the operation would impact the environment and what will it do to surrounding property values.

"Why do they have to do this in a residential area?" said Linda Wright, who lives in Nanjemoy and works at a firing range on the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Indian Head. "Blossom Point and A.P. Hill in Virginia have facilities already set up for this type of activity. It's what they exclusively do."

Vanetta Posey said she is concerned about disposable waste that might be generated at the site.

"I don't believe that disposable waste should be located in a community environment," she said. "There are other secluded areas such as state and national forests that would be more adequate for this facility. We don't want it at our back door."

Ronnie Scott said he lives very close to the airfield on the property.

"My house is directly lined up to the airfield and the shooting range," he said. "Needless to say I don't want my kids to have to wear Kevlar to play in our yard."

Norman Palmer said the area's serene atmosphere would be shattered by the noise that would be generated from the site.

"I appreciate the rural nature, seclusion and peacefulness of it all," he said. "I was part of the Nanjemoy visioning process and this doesn't fit in with our vision."

Don Wenzlick, a contractor who works with WSG, said acoustic tests conducted at the site show that the noise generated from the firing range and the vehicles using the driving course would not be above the 60 decibel daylight range mandated under the Charles County code.

Wenzlick's comment that traffic on Liverpool Point Road "obliterated" the sound of gunfire during the testing drew laughter from the crowd.

"We know that's a lie," someone in the audience yelled amid laughter and applause.

Nanjemoy resident Robert O'Neil said he is afraid the facility will lean heavily on the training aspect of the operation rather than research.

"It's not really research; that's the whole point," he said. "If you look at the contract that WSG has and the information on the company's Web site this isn't going to be a research facility."

Richard Peddicord of Dick Peddicord Inc. in Heathsville, Va., said he would be contracted by WSG to develop an environmental stewardship plan for the site if the special exception is approved.

A well and septic system would serve the site, Miller said, adding that a percolation test of the soil conducted last year by the Charles County Department of Health failed. Another test will be performed later this year, he said.

Waldorf resident Charlie Embody was one of the few people who attended the hearing who said that he supported the proposal.

"I think that they should approve it," he said before the hearing. "It's only for government testing. They're not going to do anything outrageous down there."

Longtime residents said they just want the peaceful atmosphere of the village to remain undisturbed.

"There is much that is needed in our community, but this facility with no connection to the character of the community is not what is needed," said Johnnie DeGiorgi of Nanjemoy, who is running for the District 2 Charles County commissioner seat in 2010.

"We are a community of day care centers, churches, families and land conservation regions that have a distinct character. High paramilitary training is not consistent with Nanjemoy. Please vote against this special exception request."

"I have a 90-acre working farm [in Nanjemoy]," Kay Shank said. "It's my refuge. I know others who feel the same way about their property, whatever the size of it. Don't take that away from us. We treasure what we have, and we worked hard to get it. Please respect our wishes and simply say ‘no' to this special exception."

nmcconaty@somdnews.com