Village of Delhi gets ARPA funds for shooting range, park

Aug. 23—The village of Delhi will receive Delaware County American Rescue Plan Act funds to improve its shooting range and Reservoir Park, the county ARPA committee decided Tuesday, Aug. 23.

Retired Delhi Village Police Capt. James Small, who is a firearms instructor, outlined the plans for the expansion at the shooting range. He said the village is trying to finish the classroom there. The heat and air conditioning has been installed and they are putting the finishing touches on the ceiling and walls. The village is also installing an outdoor shooting range, which will be placed under a 12-foot by 24-foot pavilion.

Small said the outdoor range would allow officers the opportunity to train in all types of weather, from freezing temperatures in the winter, to rain the rest of the year. It will also allow them to train outside at night.

Small said the village police department is asking the county for the last $10,000 it needs to finish the classroom and build the shooting range.

He said the range needs to be expanded to allow more police officer training and to meet the new pistol permit requirements that were recently signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Those requirements, which go into effect Sept. 1, include ensuring new pistol permit handlers have 18 hours of training, and making those with a current permit to take training every time they renew their pistol permit, Small said.

Small said he is in favor of the training requirements so people know how to hold their gun and how to shoot it. He said he is sometimes amazed at how people hold their guns and where they point their guns in class.

"We are the only place in Delaware County that allows civilians the opportunity to fire live rounds," said Small, who added shooting ranges operated by the National Rifle Association do not allow people to bring their own guns to the shooting range and must use guns provided.

Small said officers and troopers from 169 different police agencies, including all of the local police departments, New York City, Rochester, and the Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania State Police, have used the shooting range for training. He also said some federal agents have completed training at the facility.

"We had a detective in the NYPD attend training," Small said. "He was in the department for 18 years and never been through training."

Small said when budgets are cut, the first thing that usually gets cut is training.

In addition to offering training to officers, church groups have attended safety training in case there is a mass shooting at the church, Small said.

Walton Town Supervisor and committee member Joe Cetta asked if $10,000 was enough due to the increase of building supply costs. Small said $10,000 would get them the classroom and the outdoor range, but they hoped to expand the range in the future.

Because the range benefits county municipalities and residents, members of the ARPA Committee voted unanimously to give the village $20,000 to expand the range.

The committee voted 4-3 to give the village of Delhi $15,000 to improve the Reservoir Park. Committee members Hamden Town Supervisor Wayne Marshfield, county Attorney Amy Merklen, Clerk of the Board Christa Schafer and county Treasurer Bev Shields voted in favor of the resolution, while Bovina Town Supervisor Tina Molé, Colchester Town Supervisor Art Merrill and Cetta voted against it. Shields changed her vote from no to yes. Committee member Glenn Nealis was absent.

The money will pay for fencing materials, safety netting for unsafe areas, cement, hardware, a post hole digger rental and safety signs. Village employees will complete the work, village Trustee Jeffrey Gearhart said.

Merrill asked how the county would benefit if it gave the village the money.

Gearhart said it would benefit county employees who want to eat lunch at the park.

Merrill also asked Gearhart what the village spent its ARPA funds on and why it didn't use the funds on the park.

Gearhart said the village hall needs a new furnace, painting and a generator, and the village wells needed new pumps and piping.

The committee will hear from the Cornell Cooperative Extension Delaware County about the grants to farmers program at its next meeting, Sept. 21, Marshfield said.

Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221.