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Greenburgh range loses lease after stray-bullet mishap

Elizabeth Ganga
eganga@lohud.com
The Westchester County Police Revolver and Rifle League range has been closed since a woman was grazed by a stray bullet. (file photo)

GREENBURGH – An outdoor shooting range on Ardsley Road that became a focus of criticism after a stray bullet grazed the leg of a woman in a neighboring yard will be shut down after Con Edison decided to cancel its lease.

The Westchester County Police Revolver and Rifle League has held the lease in a buffer area to a transmission right of way since 1957, according to a Consolidated Edison spokesman. The woman was hit June 12 in the yard of a home on Birch Hill Road in a Toll Brothers development called Ardsley Chase that was recently built next door to the range.

After the incident, neighbors called for the range, which is not affiliated with any police agency, to be shut down and town officials began considering legislation to regulate outdoor ranges. Con Ed spokesman Sidney Alvarez said the lease will be terminated in 30 days.

Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner said he was pleased because he felt an outdoor range was unsafe in that location.

"I just feel like outdoor facilities should not be in a residential area," he said.

The range at 693 Ardsley Road has been temporarily shut down as police investigate the incident. The Greenburgh Police Department has been waiting for a county lab to conduct tests on the fragment that struck the woman. Police Chief Chris McNerney has said he is confident it came from the range.

Supporters of the range have criticized town officials for allowing the housing development to be built so close to the Rifle League, which has been there for decades. And they have argued that safety improvements could be made to the range to address any concerns.

Scott Sommavilla of the Westchester County Firearm Owners Association said the quick decision to close the range is unfortunate because the league had been investigating whether it could raise the money to build an indoor facility.

"It's unfortunate because the police lost a range for valuable training," he said, "civilian side lost it for practice and the Boy Scouts lost a merit badge facility."

Randy Borkenstein, who lives about a half-mile east of the range, said it's too bad that the range members cannot continue to practice their hobby where they have for decades. But, he said, the location is no longer appropriate. The shooting incident adds the issue of safety to the noise concerns neighbors have had for years, he said.

"It just doesn't make sense in crowded southern Westchester," Borkenstein said.

Twitter: @eganga