Drizzt
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The Associated Press State & Local Wire
February 27, 2003, Thursday, BC cycle
9:31 AM Eastern Time
SECTION: State and Regional
LENGTH: 372 words
HEADLINE: Construction of shooting range near Flagstaff halted by lawsuit
DATELINE: FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.
BODY:
Construction of a shooting range near Flagstaff has been halted by a legal action brought by a group of Flagstaff-area residents.
For the Arizona Game and Fish Department to build the proposed $8 million Bellemont Shooting Facility, it must complete a land swap with the U.S. Forest Service.
But no transfer of deeds or building at the site will be allowed until a lawsuit filed by a group of Flagstaff-area residents is heard in May, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court.
A spokeswoman for the group who filed the lawsuit said they consider the halting of range construction to be good news.
"We don't know when this will happen, but it could be May until we know what the judge will rule," said Celia Barotz, spokeswoman for Citizens to Relocate the Range. "Its basically great news for us."
Game and Fish officials broke ground at the site three months ago and planned to open archery, pistol and rifle shooting ranges by August.
The lawsuit demands a yearlong study on the environmental impact of the range. Among the concerns of site neighbors is the possibility that the range could cause noise disturbances.
But Duane Shroufe, director of the Arizona Department of Game and Fish, said concerns about noise generated at the facility are groundless. The Bellemont facility meets and exceeds legal sound standards for all shooting facilities in Arizona, he said.
"We believe the residents of northern Arizona should welcome the range," he said.
The Forest Service, represented by the U.S. Attorneys Office, reached an agreement with the citizen's group Feb. 18 in Phoenix to halt the land exchange.
The Forest Service was planning to swap the 770-acre site, located near I-40 west of Flagstaff, for Game and Fish holdings near Flagstaff and in the Kaibab National Forest.
The agency declined to comment on the issue because of the current litigation.
The Forest Service began work on the project eight years ago and consulted with local authorities, residents and tribes through a public scoping process. The government conducted an environmental evaluation and issued a permit for the facility in 2001 after satisfying questions about noise, safety and lead contamination.
February 27, 2003, Thursday, BC cycle
9:31 AM Eastern Time
SECTION: State and Regional
LENGTH: 372 words
HEADLINE: Construction of shooting range near Flagstaff halted by lawsuit
DATELINE: FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.
BODY:
Construction of a shooting range near Flagstaff has been halted by a legal action brought by a group of Flagstaff-area residents.
For the Arizona Game and Fish Department to build the proposed $8 million Bellemont Shooting Facility, it must complete a land swap with the U.S. Forest Service.
But no transfer of deeds or building at the site will be allowed until a lawsuit filed by a group of Flagstaff-area residents is heard in May, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court.
A spokeswoman for the group who filed the lawsuit said they consider the halting of range construction to be good news.
"We don't know when this will happen, but it could be May until we know what the judge will rule," said Celia Barotz, spokeswoman for Citizens to Relocate the Range. "Its basically great news for us."
Game and Fish officials broke ground at the site three months ago and planned to open archery, pistol and rifle shooting ranges by August.
The lawsuit demands a yearlong study on the environmental impact of the range. Among the concerns of site neighbors is the possibility that the range could cause noise disturbances.
But Duane Shroufe, director of the Arizona Department of Game and Fish, said concerns about noise generated at the facility are groundless. The Bellemont facility meets and exceeds legal sound standards for all shooting facilities in Arizona, he said.
"We believe the residents of northern Arizona should welcome the range," he said.
The Forest Service, represented by the U.S. Attorneys Office, reached an agreement with the citizen's group Feb. 18 in Phoenix to halt the land exchange.
The Forest Service was planning to swap the 770-acre site, located near I-40 west of Flagstaff, for Game and Fish holdings near Flagstaff and in the Kaibab National Forest.
The agency declined to comment on the issue because of the current litigation.
The Forest Service began work on the project eight years ago and consulted with local authorities, residents and tribes through a public scoping process. The government conducted an environmental evaluation and issued a permit for the facility in 2001 after satisfying questions about noise, safety and lead contamination.