Carbon County corrections and probation officers and deputy sheriffs will soon have a new place to get gun certified.

During the county commissioners' meeting on Thursday, Commissioner Thomas J. Gerhard spoke about the proposed gun range project on county property next to the correctional facility on the Broad Mountain in Nesquehoning. No cost on the project has been determined.The range will be constructed 200 feet south of the animal shelter in a wooded area. It will be 150 feet by 75 feet in size."It's a great thing for the county," he said, noting that the range will be constructed using in-house workers and volunteers and will follow National Rifle Association and Pennsylvania Counties Risk Pool guidelines. "We're excited about getting this started."Gerhard said that the county received approval from Nesquehoning last month. The range will be used by county officers, as well as the Nesquehoning Police Department for gun certification training.Daniel Miscavige, county solicitor, told officials on Wednesday during the monthly prison board meeting, that no one appealed the borough's decision to allow the project to proceed.Gerhard said that there had been one concern voiced regarding the proximity of the range to Maple Shade Meadows Nursing Home in Nesquehoning.After looking at mapping, he learned that the state game lands gun range is actually closer than the proposed range at the prison. Both are over 1.3 miles away from the nursing home.He added that to make sure the range, which will be used about three or four weeks a year, wouldn't cause problems due to noise, Frank Shubeck from the prison, who has been spearheading the project, went down to Macaluso's Restaurant at the bottom of the Broad Mountain and Maple Shade and listened for a shot at the facility. The noise was minimal, Gerhard said.He said he also spoke with Tom Connors, director of the dog shelter, and Connors said the dogs did not seem to be affected by the noise of the guns.The range will be gated, and officers planning to use the area will be required to notify Warden Joseph Gross, Connors and the Carbon County Emergency Management Agency before gaining access.The county has been working to build the range since last year, after Shubeck said the range was needed because of a lack of available facilities for certification training.