Time changed for Lakewood Ranch gun club hearing

BRADENTON -- The time for reopening a hearing for a special permit application for Ancient Oak Gun Club has been changed to 1 p.m. Feb. 25 at the Manatee County Commission Chambers, 1112 Manatee Ave. W. Originally, the hearing was set for 10 a.m. Feb. 25.

Developer Schroeder-Manatee Ranch is seeking approval to build a 25-station clay shooting club south of State Road 64, off Uihlein Road.

Hearing Officer Lori Dorman is reopening the hearing out of concern about noise from gunfire. Several neighbors, including residents, a school, and a church have raised concerns about possible noise from the range.

The site plan may not satisfy screening requirements under the land development code, Dorman wrote.

"Even if the plan does not violate the code, additional impact mitigation factors should be considered to ensure the health, safety and welfare those in proximity of the proposed outdoor firing range," she wrote.

Interested parties may examine the Official Zoning Atlas, the application, related documents, and may obtain assistance regarding this matter from the Manatee County Building and Development Services Department, located on the second floor at 1112 Manatee Ave. W.

Information: 941-748-4501, ext. 6878.

Lakewood Ranch disaster training dates are set

LAKEWOOD RANCH -- Lakewood Ranch residents are invited to register for the next four-session Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) 2013 training course.

Sessions are set at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall, 8175 Lakewood Ranch Blvd.:

n 7-9:30 p.m. March 7

n 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. March 9

n 7-9:30 p.m. March 14

The final session will be held 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 16 at the East Manatee Fire Rescue Building, 3200 Lakewood Ranch Blvd.

Anyone who must miss a session, can make it up at a later date in order to complete their certification.

The disaster training program promotes emergency preparedness for the individual, family, and neighborhoods. The training is free to any resident of Lakewood Ranch over the age of 18.

The program has 200 trained CERT members on 26 teams in Lakewood Ranch, with a target of 300 members and 36 teams.

To register for training visit www.lwrcert.org and use the Contact Us drop down to register.

-- Herald staff reports