One year later: The latest on the possible relocation of the Moccasin Bend firing range

Officer Joe Sabba walks past targets at the Moccasin Bend police firing range in this 2015 photo. A committee tasked with finding a new site for the firing range is wrapping up its first year of work.
Officer Joe Sabba walks past targets at the Moccasin Bend police firing range in this 2015 photo. A committee tasked with finding a new site for the firing range is wrapping up its first year of work.

Members of a committee looking into relocating the Moccasin Bend firing range acknowledge they're behind their tentative schedule but remain confident they'll find a solution.

Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke organized the committee last October, and Sunday signified a year since the committee's first meeting. The group informally resolved at that meeting to formulate a plan within a year.

Though that timeline is no longer in play, representatives from the various agencies involved told the Times Free Press last week they believe the committee is making progress.

"We've got the right people at the table," said Chief Deputy Allen Branum of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office. "I've been very impressed with the interest and dedication."

The Chattanooga Police Department and the sheriff's office for decades have used 33 acres of Moccasin Bend for firearms practice and other training exercises.

But the parcel sits on the banks of the Tennessee River and is surrounded by the National Park Service's Moccasin Bend Archeological District. Gunshots from the range ring out through the bend's hiking trails and can be heard clearly from a new portion of the Tennessee Riverwalk and the burgeoning Cameron Harbor development.

The park service is working on a management plan for the area that could bring more recreation opportunities to Moccasin Bend. Bringing in more people to live and play has raised the level of civic urgency to move the range, as local officials pledged to do more than 10 years ago when the city donated 750 acres of the bend to the park service.

The committee includes officials from the National Park Service, Friends of Moccasin Bend, city, county, police department and sheriff's office. It's divided into three subcommittees, each working on a different challenge.

The group tasked with identifying law enforcement's needs from a facility is finishing up its work and preparing to pass the baton to a second subcommittee that will look at potential firing range locations, multiple committee members said.

"Going forward, I think there's a consensus on the needs and the priorities," said Rob Taylor, a Friends of Moccasin Bend board member who has served on the committee examining law enforcement's needs. "That's important. I think there is some traction now."

A 2014 plan to build an indoor range in the 700 block of East 12th Street downtown was abandoned, with city and county officials bemoaning the cost and law enforcement officials believing their Moccasin Bend facility was better than the proposed range.

Branum said the idea of an outdoor range is still on the table, though he acknowledged the combination of cost, noise complaints and lead remediation make an outdoor venue a challenge.

"We're not looking for a Taj Mahal," Branum said. "We're just looking at the needs, and I don't think anyone needs to argue, these days, what the needs of law enforcement are and the necessity of adequate training and being able to stay more advanced than minimum standards.

"These guys are out on the street and they're resorting back to their training, so you've got to make sure the training is adequate."

Paul Parker, real property manager for Hamilton County and a member of the property group, said he is "hopeful" this committee can find just the right place for a new range.

"We're going to begin looking at potential sites, what's available, evaluate what was presented before and then go from there," Parker said.

The third subcommittee's job will be to explore funding options.

That group will include Chattanooga Chief Financial Officer Daisy Madison, Hamilton County Finance Officer Al Kiser and Friends of Moccasin Bend board president Dan Saieed.

"We've handled federal and state grants for years," said Saieed, who is also the county's director of development. "There are sometimes other grants nationwide, so we'll work with the city and county and hopefully come up with some funding possibilities and begin to work on it."

Chattanooga police spokeswoman Elisa Myzal deferred comment on the firing range committee to the city.

City spokeswoman Marissa Bell confirmed that the property subcommittee is "in progress."

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Superintendent Brad Bennett said in an email that he had no updates to share, "other than the encouraging facts that participation has been consistent and progress is being made."

"I appreciate the good faith efforts of the city of Chattanooga, Hamilton County, and the Friends of Moccasin Bend to ensure that the interests of our law enforcement community and the interests of our national park visitors are both being served," Bennett wrote.

Contact staff writer David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.

Lead remediation hits Roadblock

The city was looking for contractors this summer who could begin removing four decades of lead build-up at the range. But all the bids were "far above the available budget," Bell said in an email.

The park service's 2014 environmental assessment of the Moccasin Bend firing range showed about 6,147 tons of surface soil across five areas contained more than the federal limit for lead and said tainted water might be flowing into the Tennessee River.

The park service, a federal agency, would not be allowed to accept the land in its contaminated state.

" Public Works had to step back and reevaluate the whole project," Bell wrote. "They're focusing on implementing best management practices to remove excessive lead from the rain runoff. The scope of work is smaller and less expensive."

Contact staff writer David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.

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