Experts: Best hope is tropical weather

(See the related story on water issues in Doerun and Funston; click here.)

Predicting rainfall patterns in the summer is difficult because systems are either local like thunderstorms or in the form of tropical systems, said Pam Knox, assistant Georgia state climatologist. Hotter temperatures have caused farmers to irrigate more heavily and more often, a situation that creates draw-down cones that can affect nearby residential users and partially explain the drops in Doerun and Funston, Hicks said. A corn crop requires about 19 inches of water in a growing season, nearly all of which has been irrigated water, and in coming weeks cotton and peanuts will be at peak water demand.

Firing range for Muscogee County Sheriff's and ... - Ledger-Enquirer

Instead of cutting a ribbon to open the new Muscogee County Law Enforcement Training Complex on Wednesday, Sheriff John Darr and Marshal Greg Countryman aimed their weapons at two balloons tied to the firing range.

Two shots later, the balloons had turned to mist and the $150,000 facility, near the Muscogee County Prison off Manor Road, was open for business.

“This is about safety -- officer safety,” Countryman said. “We wanted to make the training real. We have to change our way of thinking for the safety of our deputies.”

The range, two years in the making, gives deputies from the sheriff’s and marshal’s offices as well as employees of the Muscogee County Prison and Georgia Department of Corrections a new place to practice. Before the new range, they practiced at the Columbus police firing range on Cusseta Road.

That facility was fit to burst with 1,000 officers. The new facility, to be used by some 500 law enforcement officers, provides what Countryman and Darr called state-of-the-art training.

Columbus Police Chief Ricky Boren said he hopes the annual expense for his range decreases with less people using it. The Cusseta Road range will remain open for Columbus police.

“The range is still up to date, and the range is still fully functional,” Boren said.

The new range has targets that do more than just turn to face the shooter. They move from one side of the range to the other. Targets pop up, forcing those training to choose between shooting a red enemy target or holding off from shooting a friendly blue one.

Sheriff’s Maj. Randy Robertson said trainers will switch which color is friendly halfway through a session. That causes stress in the shooter, which is needed for effective training, said sheriff’s office Sgt. Shawn Riley.

“This is by far one of the best ranges I’ve been on,” Riley said.

The cost of the range was split between the sheriff’s and marshal’s offices. The sheriff’s funds came from the 1 cent Local Option Sales Tax passed by Columbus voters in 2008 and the marshal’s contribution came from federal stimulus dollars, Darr said.

In the planning stages for more than two years, it took about a year to build the new range. The landscaping, concrete walkways and sprinkler system were installed by the city’s Public Works Department.

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