Update: Committee OK's More Formal Donation Drive for Firing Range

**Updated 2 p.m. Sept. 18

Members of the Mount Pleasant Finance, Legal and License Committee Wednesday gave their okay for a more formal fundraising campaign for a firing range.

The total amount of the firing range could cost upwards of $450,000 Chief Tim Zarzecki told the committee. MPPD has $100,000; $80,000 from impact fees; $20,000 in donations, including $7,000 won in a shooting contest by Officer Eric Giese. 

The Racine City Council Tuesday approved giving Mount Pleasant the $150,000 Racine police Chief Art Howell asked the city to contribute, according to a story in The Journal Times. That decision leaves just about $200,000 still needed. 

Trustee Dave DeGroot, chair of the committee, hinted to Patch Tuesday that the village has been in contact with a donor, but their name is being kept under wraps until the committee meeting Wednesday.

"It's top-secret ... until the committee meeting," he said.

But, whether or not there is a donor willing to close that gap was not discussed during the meeting.

The firing range was included in the design of the new village hall/police headquarters, but wasn't completed during construction because of cost. Police have been using Shooters in Caledonia for range practice, but Chief Tim Zarzecki said keeping officers in Mount Pleasant could save the village some $20,000 annually in overtime costs plus the $2,000 to $3,000 paid to Shooters for use of their range.

"This way, officers can shoot while they're in uniform and take calls instead of coming in while they're off duty," he said. "Shooters has been great, but it's too far for us to be able to use them in the same way we could our own range."

The high cost of finishing the range room is partly because of the special air handling system required to remove lead particles from the air. 

Howell admitted his department won't save as much as Mount Pleasant up front, but the city would save $11,000 annually in rental fees. 

"Our investment is equivalent to paying rent in advance ... After the initial investment is absorbed ... the city saves thousands of dollars.," he wrote in an email to Patch.

More importantly, he added, is the increased safety for officers because they'll be in a "secure, private range facility reserved for police officers."

Unlike Shooters, the MPPD range will not be open to the public.

In any case, Alderman Ed Diehl said he fully supports the city's contribution to the firing range because the city would have an ownership stake and the police department would have greater flexibility for firearms training and practice.

"It's definitely an investment," he said. "This is a compromise between building our own facility from scratch - which no one wants - and redoing the old range in police headquarters, which would still cost upwards of $500,000 because the station was built in the 1960s."

Maintenance and upkeep of the range would be paid for by renting the facility to other agencies like the county sheriff and perhaps even the FBI. Zarzecki said the Mount Pleasant range will offer both handgun and rifle options, something not currently available at Shooters.

Once the money for the range is in the bank, Zarzecki said construction is expected to take three to four months. 

Anyone interested in contributing to the firing range can send their donation to Chief Tim Zarzecki at Mount Pleasant Village Hall, 8811 Campus Drive, Mount Pleasant, WI, 53406. All contributions are tax-deductible.