Nevada County Board Approves Sheriff’s $17 Million Shooting Range

NEVADA CITY — On Tuesday, the Nevada County Board of Supervisors approved funding for a new shooting range and training facility planned as an expansion to the complex where the Nevada County juvenile detention center formerly operated. The project has been a priority for Nevada County Sheriff Shannon Moon for several years and will be used by the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) as well as other local agencies.

Currently, the NCSO primarily utilizes the Grass Valley Police Department’s outdoor range, requiring a 45-minute drive, increasing overtime costs, and limiting training effectiveness, according to NCSO Captain Sean Scales. That range is weather-dependent, has no water or bathrooms, no radio or cell communication, and only static targets, among other limitations.

Captain Scales, presenting the project to the Board, explained that the new range will include 12 50-yard shooting lanes, be able to capture .308 caliber rounds (the largest used by the NCSO), and accommodate vehicles within the building. Several target types will be utilized for training, including rotating and moving “running man” targets. In addition to the range itself, the building will feature a classroom for 30 people, handwashing stations, restrooms, firearm cleaning stations, and an armory. Parking areas outside the structure will also be expanded.

Scales emphasized that the facility has been designed to be as quiet as possible for the benefit of neighboring residential and government properties. Walls will be made with 8-inch-thick concrete blocks filled with grout that will extend above the roof. The roof also has several specialized elements to trap and absorb sound waves, with heavy insulation and a 2.5-inch-thick metal deck.

The project also aims to lay the groundwork for future expansions to the complex, potentially including an underground parking structure for which speculative grading and utility work will be completed. Performing such work as part of the shooting range project allows the county to save environmental review costs down the line, according to NCSO Chief Fiscal Officer Georgette Aronow.

Ultimately, the Board voted unanimously to approve a total funding package of $19,176,500. Aronow clarified that costs are broken into two phases. A $16,833,500 “Phase 1” funds the shooting range, training facility, and additional parking. Phase 2, which would cost $2,343,000, includes the construction of an additional Search and Rescue garage and classroom structure, but is contingent upon approval of federal earmark funding. Aronow also clarified, in response to a question from Supervisor Hardy Bullock, that county funding will come primarily from the Sheriff’s administration budget, including general fund dollars held in a “Justice Services Reserve” for capital projects. The facility is planned to be completed by August 2027.