The city’s budget for the next fiscal year shows new signs of life in the effort to relocate a law enforcement firing range embedded in the middle of the Moccasin Bend National Archeological District.
The proposed budget includes an allocation of $150,000 that will be used primarily for site preparation and planning, including soil testing and other engineering needs, according to staff in Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke’s office. The budget also includes tentative plans for another $2 million to follow in 2020 and 2021.
“A final location has not been selected,” said Stacy Richardson, Berke’s chief of staff in a statement. “A committee of representatives from the Chattanooga Police Department, various city agencies, and other local stakeholders have been evaluating several different properties that could be suitable sites for a new range.”
The 33-acre range sits on the bank of the Tennessee River and is surrounded by 750 acres of parkland donated to the park service more than a decade ago. Gunshots can be heard on nearby hiking trails and across the water on the Tennessee Riverwalk near the Cameron Harbor development.
It’s not ideal for those looking to enjoy the natural tranquility of the bend, but the range is used by both the Chattanooga Police Department and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office as well as a number of smaller agencies from nearby areas. Officials have struggled to identify a new property that would satisfy their many training needs.