The Warren County Commission is weighing whether to approve a shooting range permit for an organization that provides training for police and military. During a sometimes heated public meeting Nov. 29, commissioners heard from supporters and detractors of the group, Patriot Training Foundation.Patriot Training Foundation is seeking a conditional use permit (CUP) to run a training facility, including firearm training, out of the BMC Stone quarry on Quarry Road south of Warrenton. The three-member county commission will announce a final decision on the permit Dec. 17.Patriot Training Foundation President Keath Hausher is making the case for why the county should approve its CUP.“We are, to our knowledge, the nation’s only nonprofit, all-volunteer service that provides free training, without cost, to people from the military ... as well as law enforcement,” Hausher said.The organization had been running training programs at the quarry since 2016, but only learned several months ago that a CUP is required for an “outdoor shooting range,” representatives previously stated.Hausher told The Record that the quarry offers a safe, flexible training facility with potential for more realistic exercises than most police departments have access to.For example, police officers have done live fire training from a vehicle to practice defending themselves in that situation. Soon after, officers from the same police department did the same training in-house by sitting in a plastic chair indoors and dry firing their weapon, Hausher said.He explained that “police departments are budget strapped and don’t have access to this kind of training.”For military personnel, Hausher said Patriot Training Foundation can use the quarry to offer tactical simulations and leadership training that might otherwise only be available to special forces.Since Patriot Training Foundation applied for the CUP in August, it has drawn opposition from some homeowners around the quarry and residents of the nearby Village of Innsbrook. The main concerns expressed have been safety and noise.Hausher said opponents’ description of Patriot Training Foundation’s proposal have been inaccurate, and that negative impacts are grossly exaggerated. The quarry was chosen because it is a safe location, and sound tests have shown minimal or no impact on nearby neighborhoods, he said.He pointed out that many private landowners shoot frequently in the area, which also has the Reifsnider Conservation Area shooting range nearby.“There are very few days of the year that someone isn’t shooting in that community.”County hears debateThe CUP for Patriot Training Foundation was initially approved by county planning and zoning officials in October, but was blocked by a formal protest from opponents.The public gathering Nov. 29 was so the Warren County Commission could hear both sides of the issue. Attendees became animated at times, with one shouting match earning a threat from the commission to end the hearing on the spot.Police officers from several departments in St. Louis County spoke on behalf of Patriot Training Foundation, attesting to the importance of the program and the value of the quarry as a training facility. Past and present military trainees involved in the program reiterated that point.Capt. Ray Wagner, an Army infantry officer with ties to Warren County, said training with Patriot Training Foundation provided skills that he has used and passed on during his eight years in the military.With federal budget cuts, Wagner said this kind of training is hard to get. He said he sometimes brings other officers from his post at Fort Stewart, Ga., to get instruction from Patriot Training Foundation.“We take that training (Hausher) provides and we take it to the soldiers who matter, who are on the front lines,” Wagner said.Those opposing the permit for Patriot Training Foundation expressed great admiration for the program, but said the organization should seek a more remote location.“I question whether or not this is the right place for the training,” said Chip Wobbe with Innsbrook Resort. “I don’t know if there was some thought given to looking at a piece of ground or (other) quarry that might be a little bit more isolated.”Several homeowners directly adjacent to the woods surrounding the quarry said despite Hausher’s reassurances, the sound of gunfire has been a nuisance to them — they just didn’t know who it was coming from. And even with shooting contained by the walls of the quarry, several people said they wouldn’t feel completely safe from stray gunfire.There’s also an issue of trust for the longtime residents of the area, stemming from conflicts with a previous owner of the quarry.“We want to be good neighbors, they want to be good neighbors, but their behavior is demonstrating otherwise,” said Theresa Werges, referring to the failure of the quarry owner or Patriot Training Foundation to seek a proper CUP before now. “(BMC Stone) knowingly allowed PTF to build and operate on the property for (almost) three years — all without the proper permitting.”Others questioned why there had been no penalty for the quarry’s permit violation, suggesting that the activities there ran afoul of county law.Outgoing Planning and Zoning Administrator Toni Eversmeyer said whenever the county becomes aware of a violation, the property owner is notified and given a chance to correct the issue. If they don’t, information is forwarded to the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office for possible misdemeanor criminal charges.In the case of the quarry and Patriot Training Foundation, Eversmeyer said appropriate action had been taken.“When (the quarry owners) were notified that a CUP was needed, they immediately ceased operating the training program on the site. Therefore, no further action was necessary,” Eversmeyer said.Commission to decideIt now falls upon the Warren County Commission to decide the fate of the Patriot Training Foundation CUP. The commission will announce its decision Dec. 17 at 11 a.m. at the Warren County Administration Building. Commissioners must choose whether to reject the CUP, approve it with new conditions, or uphold the CUP as originally approved by planning and zoning officials.“We have to take everything that everybody said and sift through all of it,” said Presiding Commissioner Roger Mauzy. “There was so much information thrown out, (and) we have to determine what’s fact and what’s fiction.”Southern District Commissioner Hubie Kluesner added, “We have to just do our due diligence.” He said the commission can zero in on the restrictions that might be necessary.The CUP, as originally approved, would restrict the Patriot Training Foundation program to be for police and military personnel only, with no public use. The organization would only be allowed to use the quarry 60 days per year, with restrictions on the times shooting is permitted.The CUP expressly forbids explosives, automatic weapons and ammunition larger than a certain caliber. It also would require Patriot Training Foundation to maintain appropriate liability insurance.Warren County Administration Building