SCHENECTADY — Plans to rebuild the now-derelict firing range in the basement of Schenectady police headquarters moved forward Monday after the City Council considered the project’s final contract at its Monday meeting.
The $232,193 agreement for general contracting will be awarded to Gallo Construction Corp of Watervliet after the council’s City Planning & Development Committee signed off on the proposal at its meeting earlier this week.
In March, the council approved three separate contracts totaling $545,715 for electrical, plumbing and ventilations work needed to bring the firing range located in the basement of policy headquarters on Liberty Street back online. A contract for general contracting did not receive any bids at the time and was put out for rebid later that month.
The project is expected to cost around $1.2 million, including $400,000 in range components. The city has already spent $100,000 on lead and asbestos abatement.
Plans to rebuild the range, first constructed in 1973, have been in the works since 2018 when the city received a $450,000 state grant to upgrade the facility.
By that point, the range had been out of operation for a few years due to general disrepair and inadequate ventilation that prevented gas emissions from weapon discharges from escaping.
Schenectady police have been using the Rotterdam training facility since the city’s range became inoperable.
The upgraded facility will include new technology that will allow users to simulate real-world situations and include additional baffling to reduce noise as well as a rubber berm trapping system that will rescue ricocheting ammunition, allowing users to fire safely from a variety of angles and distances.
Contact reporter Chad Arnold at: 518-410-5117 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @ChadGArnold.
Categories: -News-, Schenectady, Schenectady County
