Nanjemoy site eyed for anti-terrorism training facility

Friday, Sept. 8, 2006

Global Tactical Solutions of Alexandria, Va., wants to build a facility that includes firing ranges on Liverpool Point Road across from Adams Willett Road. A special exception is required to build the facility on the land, which is in the agricultural conservation zone.

The Charles County Board of Zoning Appeals is set to hear the request Sept. 26.

The company was established a few months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon to train law enforcement, military and fire and rescue personnel to respond to terrorist attacks in the United States. The intensive training includes instructing first responders in precision weapons techniques, such as active shooting incidents and use of force with firearms, according to information the company filed in the county planning department.

To facilitate that component of the training, GTS officials propose to build a 25-foot pistol range and a fixed rifle and shotgun range with a fixed firing point and retractable target system, according to the planning department. The area would have covered ballistic firing points equipped with individual shooting stations and ballistic dividers, according to GTS officials. It would also have baffled ceilings and doors to stop bullets from leaving the firing range area.

In addition to the weapons training, the company would provide training in tactical operations, including computer forensics and rope, trench, confined spaces, vehicle and collapse rescue, according to the application.

The company wants to operate the facility from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

A range of agencies throughout the area have been trained under the program, including the Maryland State Police, Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., U.S. Park Police, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps Chemical-Biological Incident Response Force, according to company officials.

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office in La Plata is aware of the proposal, said Capt. Joseph Montminy, executive assistant to Sheriff Frederick Davis (R).

‘‘[Company officials] outlined their proposal and the plans for the tactical shooting range and answered our questions,” Montminy said in a written statement. ‘‘They wanted the sheriff’s office to be aware of the project.”

A few state agencies have responded to the proposal so far, including the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Officials of DNR’s wildlife heritage division noted in written comments that the proposed training facility site is in the headwaters of Nanjemoy Creek, which includes nontidal wetlands of special concern.

The firing range is not located in the wetlands area, however, according to DNR.

The parcel includes a habitat protection area for nesting bald eagles, a variety of plants and the endangered dwarf wedge mussel.

State environmental officials expressed some concern about what the company plans to do with the spent lead casings of bullets fired on the range. The agency noted in written comments to the county that ‘‘there is no concern unless the lead projectiles were to land in the wetlands area where it has been well documented that acid precipitation and acid soils can dissolve lead shot and result in groundwater contamination.”

The state advises the company to periodically recover the lead casings because without such a plan, the site could become a ‘‘hazardous waste facility” if it was closed or abandoned and later redeveloped.

MDE officials also expressed concern about the elevated noise levels coming from the firing range, noting that typical shooting ranges produce a noise level of 95 decibels at 50 feet from a firing range.

The company has not returned several phone calls seeking comment.

Local residents have been quiet about the special exception proposal so far, saying they need to investigate before drawing any conclusions.

‘‘I know that this sort of facility is a necessary evil,” said Nanjemoy resident Gloria Heisserman. ‘‘I’d like to research this more and see what the bottom line is.”