Itasca considering gun, archery range
Itasca officials will hear a presentation this week from a local couple hoping to open a gun and archery range in the village.
John and Nancy Heimburger will discuss their proposed business, Action Gun and Archery Range, at 7 p.m. Tuesday during a village board committee of the whole meeting.
Earlier this month, board members peppered the couple with questions about safety at the proposed range, but promised to keep an open mind about its possible benefits for Itasca.
"The board has no opinion on this yet," Trustee Frank Madaras said. "None of us are gun people, so it is going to be new and fresh to us.
"Safety concerns will be the number one issue and we will also look at whatever this might label the village. At the same time, the board wants to be practical and get these empty buildings filled."
John Heimburger said the couple hopes to open the business at 1201 Norwood Ave., a 14,000-square-foot building that formerly housed Golf USA. He said the goal is to open one of the top gun and archery ranges in the Chicago area, serving police, military, Scout troops and aficionados.
The nearest similar range is G.A.T. Guns in Dundee Township, he said.
He said he understands the village's concerns about safety and pledged it will be a strong component of Action Sports' offerings.
"I see people who don't get to practice enough in either sport for hunting," Heimburger said. "If you're going to hunt, you should be very proficient. But the number one thing is safety training, so people who are already interested in these sports know how to properly handle their weapons without hurting themselves or others."
The Heimburgers said it is too soon to predict how much sales tax revenue the business would produce or even its opening date. They said they are sorting out staffing, rent and inventory requirements and still must secure a special-use permit from the village.
"It's really too premature to be writing about this," Heimburger said. "We're taking a step back right now and figuring out extra details before moving forward with such a big investment."
Under their business plan, the couple would invest roughly $1 million to open a range that has 12 shooting lanes and five archery lanes. Heimburger said each shooting lane could cost up to $45,000 to pay for ventilation and a state-of-the-art backstop.
Other expenses would include ammunition inventory, security alarms, security cameras that monitor the range 24 hours a day, and security seals for the windows.