Levy rips plan to relocate skeet range

A proposal to take the first steps toward moving the controversial South Haven Park trap and skeet range to land near Gabreski Airport in Westhampton has drawn opposition from Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy and aides who say gunshots could endanger aircraft landing and taking off.

But Legis. Kate Browning (WF-Shirley), who sponsored the resolution, said the tract has long been used without incident by a private gun club which does all types of target shooting, including trap and skeet. "I don't see what the problem is," she said.

The 75.5 acres, owned by real estate agent Edwin Tuccio, are just north of the airport, east of Old Riverhead Road. Tuccio said he has rented the property to the Long Island Practical Shooters Association for the past decade and the group has had no difficulty with aircraft.

But Tony Ceglio, the county's airport manager, raised concerns that guns used in trap and skeet -- unlike those used in shooting at ground targets -- are pointed skyward and ammunition could go 600 to 900 feet into the air. He said some airport flight paths go over the property and planes can fly as low as 100 to 500 feet off the ground.

"It doesn't make a lot of common sense," he said. However, he acknowledged the property was used as a munitions training area in the 1940s when it was a military base, and added the county has done nothing to stop the current gun club use.

"This has got to be the bonehead legislation of the year, to have people firing rifles into the air while planes from the 106th Air National Guard are taking off or landing," Levy said.

Tony Bykov, the shooter association vice president, said skeet shooting is done regularly by members: "There's nothing that is dangerous. Everything is done in a safe manner."

Yaphank residents, who cite the existing South Haven range for noise, pollution and loss of property value, urged lawmakers to back the move to the Westhampton site, saying it is 2.5 miles away from the nearest homes. They also said Browning's "planning steps" resolution would allow planners to fully evaluate risks and whether the direction of shooting could be aligned to minimize danger to aircraft.

Brookhaven Town board member Connie Kepert said the town recently has issued 20 summonses to the county for town noise violations at the South Haven range at $250 per ticket. "It's been an enormous burden for the people who live adjacent to the site," she said. "I have people come to my office and say their babies twitch every time a gun goes off."

County planners said Browning's resolution is flawed because it would be funded under a land acquisition program that doesn't permit active recreation uses. That led to a tabling of the measure on Friday. Browning said she has already asked legislative counsel to revise the bill and expects wide legislative support in January. "It's a temporary setback," she said. "But when the new county executive comes in, I think he'll be more receptive to solving the problem and coming up with a viable alternative."