Knox County Sheriff Mike Morris shared plans for building a gun range with members of the Knox County Council Tuesday.
Morris says the gun range would be located behind the Knox County Jail. It would include a 100 yard Precision Rifle range and six 25 yard ranges.
Morris indicated having their own gun range would save them thousand dollars in membership fees to be a member of the Wabash Sportsman Club. He added the range will meet state standards and poses no liability issues with the county’s insurance provider.
The money for the gun range would be funded by money within the Sheriff’s Department.
On a related topic, Morris says they’ve received delivery of the virtual simulated shooter program. The computer program allows officers to simulate shooting scenarios without having to use their firearm. He says training is expected to get underway next week and will save the department money on firearms and ammunition. Vincennes University provide over half of the funding for the computer program and will be shared with the VU Police Department.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting..
The Knox County Council approved a bid from Alpha Mechanical, Inc. out of Evansville to upgrade the boiler system at the County Courthouse.
Alpha’s bid of 265-thousand, 500 dollars was the lowest of three bids received for the new boiler. The current one is at least 50-years old and has proven inconsistent in regulating the temperature in county offices at the courthouse. Council voted to pay for installation of the new boiler with money from the county’s economic development tax income.
In other business, Council members were unable to reach agreement on an appointment to The Freelandville Regional Sanitation District board. Rod Perry and Richard Pea had applied for the open seat on the board. The vote was split 3-to-3 with County Councilman Jim Beery abstaining.
Beery indicated his reason for abstaining was professional and personal. Beery worked with Perry while teaching in the North Knox School Corporation and he considers Richard Pea a personal friend.