EAST WINDSOR -- Around two dozen people packed into a Town Hall meeting room Friday evening to discuss plans for a Connecticut State Police firearms training facility.
"Within a mile of the facility are many many homes. Right across the street from the facility is a church cemetery, there's the broad brook school that's 3/4 of a mile of the range, imagine your kids going to school and hearing gunshots," said Michael Scalzo, a neighbor who lives near the proposed site. "We can't think of any reason of why it should go here."
State Police say the facility is sorely needed because the current one in Simsbury is not equipped for modern training techniques.
State Police were also looking into two other sites in Willington, but are also running into heavy opposition from neighbors in that town.
Trooper First Class Kelly Grant of the CT State Police sent the following statement to FOX CT:
"There is a need for a new range, and public comment is an important part of the process.
The several sites identified by the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) will each undergo an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) study. This study will ascertain the impact, if any, that the proposal may have on the areas under consideration. It is a sound plan, one designed to keep the entire state secure.
No final decisions have been made and this remains an ongoing and open process."
