Residents living near the BMC Stone quarry on Quarry Road south of Warrenton say their peace and quiet is at risk after Warren County officials approved the operation of a firearm training site within the quarry.A group of residents have filed an official protest against the action, meaning the decision must now be reviewed by the Warren County Commission during a hearing Nov. 29 at 6 p.m.The training facility and shooting range is run by Patriot Training Foundation, a St. Louis-based, volunteer, nonprofit organization that runs training programs for law enforcement and military personnel. The organization has quarry owner BMC Development’s permission to operate there, and does not charge any fees for the courses it offers.Patriot Training Foundation has been holding training programs at the quarry since 2016, offering courses in firearms, land navigation, water operations and tactical training, said organization President Keath Hausher. But organizers only recently learned that Warren County requires a conditional use permit (CUP) for what it classifies as an “outdoor shooting range.”A CUP is a permit that allows land to be used for a certain purpose only after receiving county government approval, usually with restrictive conditions attached.“When the (quarry) owner’s representatives were notified that a CUP was needed, they immediately ceased operating the training program on the site,” said Warren County Planning and Zoning Administrator Toni Eversmeyer.Eversmeyer said the county only became aware of the shooting range after organizers sought a new building permit related to the training site.BMC Development and Patriot Training Foundation applied for a CUP in August, which was approved with a 7-1 vote of the Warren County Planning and Zoning Commission Oct. 19.The planning and zoning commission is a group of citizens appointed to review and approve CUP applications and other matters.The commission placed a number of restrictions on the CUP, most notably that the quarry site can only be used by police and military personnel and trainees, with no public use. Restrictions on the number of days per year and types of weapons allowed at the shooting range were also added.Homeowners protestSome area residents are not convinced that any amount of restrictions will make them comfortable with having a shooting range close by.Many of the concerned people live in or near Innsbrook Resort, which is just east of the quarry. Their letter protesting the CUP explains that many homeowners bought property in the area to enjoy peace and quiet away from “noise pollution.”“Many have chosen to invest and settle in Warren County for the peaceful country lifestyle it offers,” said Innsbrook Resort CEO Charlie Boyce. “(The gun range) not only violates the enjoyment of their property, but would also affect the value of their investment, whereas this facility adds little or no value to our local community.”Hausher, the Patriot Training Foundation president, said the concerns about noise are unfounded. He said testing using a sound meter showed that noise from the firearms was very low or inaudible from 1,000 yards away. At the nearest residence to the site, he said the sound from firearms measured at 10 decibels, which is barely audible.Hausher added that being 150 feet down inside the quarry helps mitigate the sound, and also makes the site ideal in terms of safety for the surrounding area. In almost 2 1/2 years of holding training courses at the quarry, Hausher said the organization hasn’t received a single complaint from nearby neighbors.The CUP dispute will be resolved by the three-person Warren County Commission, the elected board that governs the county (not to be confused with the planning and zoning commission). Representatives of Patriot Training Foundation and the protesting residents will have a chance to speak before the commission at a hearing 6 p.m. Nov. 29 in the Warren County Administration Building.The commission may choose to uphold the conditional use permit as is, add new restrictions, or reject the permit entirely. However, the commission usually doesn’t issue a final decision on such matters until several weeks after a protest hearing.Warren County Administration Building