Burrillville police to develop, use firing range on Boy Scout property

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A view of Wakefield Pond, located by the shooting range that will be shared by the Boy Scouts and Burrillville police.

BURRILLVILLE – The Rhode Island Boy Scouts have signed an agreement with the Burrillville Police Department for the development and use of a shooting range on a wilderness property known as the Buck Hill Scouting Reservation.

The area is already designated and used as a rifle range by the The Narragansett Council, Boy Scouts of America, but will be further developed by the BPD. The 20-year deal states that the police department will spend up to $60,000 to build at least four firing lanes at a distance of 50 yards, and two firing lanes at a distance of 100 yards.

Police will also build a storage facility and cover for the range, and will be responsible for both planting and clearing of trees, and installation of electricity as needed.

BPD is expected to use the range for training, certification and recertification of officers. Police will have unlimited access to the facility whenever it is not being used for Boy Scout purposes, according to the agreement.

Both parties will be responsible for maintenance of the new facility.

The license to use a portion of the property was signed for 20 years, and is renewable for four additional terms of five years each.

The lot, a nine acre parcel off of Wakefield Road, was purchased by the Boy Scouts in the late 1960s, and is located within some 7,000 acres of state preserved land. The Department of Environmental Management purchased 189 acres from the organization in 2012 connecting the larger Buck Hill Management Area to the George Washington Management Area.

The reservation is used year round by the Boy Scouts for camping, fishing and hiking.

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