HUNTINGTON BEACH : Council Studying Shooting Range Lease

The City Council tonight is expected to consider a new lease agreement with the Huntington Beach Police Officers Assn. to allow the group to continue operating the shooting range at Central Park and make improvements.

Senior Officer Richard Wright, president of the association, said the facility is in need of upgrades to ensure safety for public use and to provide a more modernized training facility for police officers.

Wright said the association has operated the shooting range for more than 20 years. It is used by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, as well as by the military, private shooting clubs and police academies and colleges. The shooting range is off Gothard Street, between Talbert and Ellis avenues, next to the Central Library.

The public portion of the shooting range was closed in May because of safety concerns.

In recent years, the association has had a yearly lease agreement with the city. But Wright said that without a long-term agreement, the association did not want to spend the estimated $4 million to make the improvements.

The council will consider entering into a 20-year lease with the association.

If the agreement is approved, improvements will include redesigning the existing facility for public and law enforcement uses, building classrooms, sound walls, state-of-the-art shooting lines and sound-baffling systems, Wright said.

Plans also include reopening the shooting range to the public by early next year.

For more information about the meeting, call the city clerk’s office at (714) 536-5227.