Geauga County Maple Leaf April 14 2011 -

Jodie Swartwout was shot down, but she wants to get back up again.

On March 22, the Newbury Township Board of Zoning Appeals denied the opening of a proposed shooting range operated by Swartwout and other shooters at Newbury Business Park.

Swartwout and her partners -- Dan and Angela McNish of Newbury and Ronald Hopkin of North Royalton -- filed an appeal regarding the BZA decision with the Geauga County Court of Common Pleas last Wednesday.

No date has been set and, if they can work with the township to achieve an agreed judgment entry, the case will never get to court, she said.

Swartwout, a township resident, said she is very hopeful that an agreed judgment entry will clear the way for financing and renovation of a warehouse the business park into "The Shooting Range Inc." by the end of the summer.

The building, which has access off Route 44 just south of Route 87, is about 100 feet long by 40 feet wide. This will allow for 10 stalls and a 75-foot-long range -- long enough for anything except a machine gun, she joked.

Swartwout describes herself as an avid shooter who likes to practice all year around. Consequently, in northeast Ohio, an indoor range is necessary. For years, she has traveled to North Royalton for practice. She and other friends in the county have discussed the need for an indoor range for a long time.

"We've been talking about (setting up a range) forever," Swartwout said. "We finally said 'Let's just go for it.'"

So she and her shooting partners started looking for a location and found the building they can retrofit with armor shielding and a machine that collects the spent ammunition, as well as soundproofing and other amenities.

They also investigated the market for a range and found the Geauga County Sheriff's Office will make good use of an indoor range. Sheriff Dan McClelland attended the BZA hearing and testified the noise control design was consistent with other ranges. He also offered to consult with Swartwout and partners on any safety issues.

"The Sheriff's people have to go out of the county to qualify on three of four parts," Swartwout said.

The BZA recognized the range would be beneficial to the department. However, her request of the BZA did not meet the use variance criteria as a shooting range and is not a permitted listed use in the township zoning code, according to the board's finding of facts when it denied the use variance.

Minutes from the hearing show there would be no sale of firearms at The Shooting Range, only rentals for on-site shooting. The armor plating will be sufficient to withstand .45, .308 and .30-06 caliber shot and the windows will be changed to glass-block design. Security will include smoke alarms, corner surveillance, instructor-monitored cameras, gun storage in a separate office building and safety officers on duty. Swartwout said they plan to offer classes on gun handling, safety and, of course, shooting at targets.

"We want people to learn safety, feel comfortable with guns and ask questions," she said.

After a year of working on the project, Swartwout said she and her team are anxious to get started and are happy to take the agreed judgment entry route to get the project moving. If all goes well, they hope to open for business before winter sets in and start selling memberships, as well.

But, mostly, she wants to have a range handy for her own use.

"We just want to shoot!" Swartwout said.

Jodie Swartwout was shot down, but she wants to get back up again.

On March 22, the Newbury Township Board of Zoning Appeals denied the opening of a proposed shooting range operated by Swartwout and other shooters at Newbury Business Park.

Swartwout and her partners -- Dan and Angela McNish of Newbury and Ronald Hopkin of North Royalton -- filed an appeal regarding the BZA decision with the Geauga County Court of Common Pleas last Wednesday.

No date has been set and, if they can work with the township to achieve an agreed judgment entry, the case will never get to court, she said.

Swartwout, a township resident, said she is very hopeful that an agreed judgment entry will clear the way for financing and renovation of a warehouse the business park into "The Shooting Range Inc." by the end of the summer.

The building, which has access off Route 44 just south of Route 87, is about 100 feet long by 40 feet wide. This will allow for 10 stalls and a 75-foot-long range -- long enough for anything except a machine gun, she joked.

Swartwout describes herself as an avid shooter who likes to practice all year around. Consequently, in northeast Ohio, an indoor range is necessary. For years, she has traveled to North Royalton for practice. She and other friends in the county have discussed the need for an indoor range for a long time.

"We've been talking about (setting up a range) forever," Swartwout said. "We finally said 'Let's just go for it.'"

So she and her shooting partners started looking for a location and found the building they can retrofit with armor shielding and a machine that collects the spent ammunition, as well as soundproofing and other amenities.

They also investigated the market for a range and found the Geauga County Sheriff's Office will make good use of an indoor range. Sheriff Dan McClelland attended the BZA hearing and testified the noise control design was consistent with other ranges. He also offered to consult with Swartwout and partners on any safety issues.

"The Sheriff's people have to go out of the county to qualify on three of four parts," Swartwout said.

The BZA recognized the range would be beneficial to the department. However, her request of the BZA did not meet the use variance criteria as a shooting range and is not a permitted listed use in the township zoning code, according to the board's finding of facts when it denied the use variance.

Minutes from the hearing show there would be no sale of firearms at The Shooting Range, only rentals for on-site shooting. The armor plating will be sufficient to withstand .45, .308 and .30-06 caliber shot and the windows will be changed to glass-block design. Security will include smoke alarms, corner surveillance, instructor-monitored cameras, gun storage in a separate office building and safety officers on duty. Swartwout said they plan to offer classes on gun handling, safety and, of course, shooting at targets.

"We want people to learn safety, feel comfortable with guns and ask questions," she said.

After a year of working on the project, Swartwout said she and her team are anxious to get started and are happy to take the agreed judgment entry route to get the project moving. If all goes well, they hope to open for business before winter sets in and start selling memberships, as well.

But, mostly, she wants to have a range handy for her own use.

"We just want to shoot!" Swartwout said.