The City of Santa Maria is currently taking bids for a new police gun range.
The police department hasn’t had its own gun range since it moved to its current location, so the city is planning to build a new outdoor facility at Los Flores Ranch Park.
The range will be built on a five-acre site that’s out of view from the public.
“It will be in a remote box canyon that you can not see from the landfill or from Highway 101, so it’ll be out of view and it will be only for the Santa Maria Police Department’s use,” said Mark van de Kamp, City of Santa Maria Public Information Manager.
City officials say officers need to recertify their firearm training on a regular basis and currently, officers practice at a private gun range or use the training facilities at Allan Hancock College’s Law Enforcement Academy or Camp San Luis Obispo.
“This will be a lot closer. It’s a short drive time out of the city heading south to the Los Flores area and they can be back if they need to much quicker than going all the way to Lompoc or San Luis,” van de Kamp said.
The project is expected to cost about $250,000.
Once the city council approves a contractor, construction is expected to begin in August and the range should be ready for officer use by October.
