MANSFIELD — The Mansfield Board of Control on Tuesday is scheduled to discuss a $303,400 proposal to build a police training facility at its outdoor shooting range.
Mansfield police Chief Keith Porch said Monday the 1,600-square foot facility would be in front of the Miller Parkway shooting range opened in 2019 as part of the Chief Lawrence E. Harper Training Facility.
“All of our divisional trainings can be conducted there,” Porch said. “This training center was the plan from the beginning when we decided on building the outdoor range.
“At this site, we can can kill two birds with one stone,” the chief said, referring to the classroom and shooting range at one facility.
Getz Builders of Mansfield has provided a bid for the design-build project, featuring conventional wood frame construction with engineered wood trusses and a concrete slab floor.
When the $44,000 gun range was dedicated in October 2019, Mayor Tim Theaker said a building with a classroom and storage facilities was planned for the site in phase two.
The new facility will have bathroom facilities, currently unavailable at the shooting range.
The city’s plans, which will require City Council approval, call for a 10-year bond issue to pay for the project at 2.27 percent interest through Key Bank government finance. The interest payments add another $37,879 to the price of the building.
Council will likely discuss the plan during its meeting June 1.
Porch said future additional plans at the site include a “live shoot house” next to the range, featuring moveable barriers designed to simulate rooms. That project will be paid for through a state grant that includes North Central State College.
A driving pad for defensive driving training is also planned in the future, Porch said.
Porch said the MPD has been renting space for classroom training at the FOP Lodge #32 and can eliminate those fees with the new site.
