COQUILLE -- Local gun enthusiasts hit target dead center Thursday night receiving, the go-ahead from the Coos County Planning Commission for the development of a public shooting range nine miles north of Bandon.

The commission approved a conditional use permit allowing for 220 acres of the Coos County Forest to be used as a shooting range.

All five of the seven members of the Commission present Thursday were in favor of the shooting range. Commissioners Charlie Waterman and Dennis Schad were absent. Coos County Board Chairman John Griffith attended the meeting but didn't testify.

The shooting range has been a 30-year dream for gun lovers like Bob Main, the president of the Tioga Sports Park Association, the entity that Coos County would grant the right to use the land. Main also is Coos County's tax assessor.

The Tioga Sports Park would be situated on forestland just off of Whiskey Run Lane. Main said plans call for about 20 rifle shooting corridors -- each 1,000 yards long -- and numerous pistol ranges. The park also would include an archery field, black powder course, a trap shooting range, a 100-yard-by-100-yard paintball course and an RV park. The Coos County Sheriff's Office would be allowed to train with automatic weapons on the property, however it has not been decided if the general public would, Main said.

The agreement with the county is a 99-year lease to be reviewed by the county Board of Commissioners every 10 years. In exchange for the use of the land, the county will receive up to 10 percent of the Sports Park's gross revenue. Main estimated that figure would be about $10,000.

The shooting range is within the 12,000 acre Coos County Forest, whose timber is managed and harvested for profit. The timber within the boundaries of the Sports Park would continue to be harvested, said Coos County Forester Bob Laport, though at a limited scale.

The Sheriff's Office also supports the plan, and has expressed interest in acquiring exclusive access to the park for two days each month to train deputies.

About 25 people attended Thursday's meeting, seven of whom spoke in favor of the park, and three who were against it.

Proponents of the development included Coquille resident Myron Cole, the president of the Myrtle Point Sportsman's Club. While technically, the shooting range would be the only competitor to the Myrtle Point gun club -- home to the only shooting range in Coos County -- Cole said it would be welcomed with open arms nonetheless. Many area hunters have wanted a longer shooting range for years -- something the Myrtle Point range is unable to provide at only 26 acres.

Ken Sjogren of Coquille said he supported the project for safety reasons. As an avid hunter he's often come across makeshift targets set up in the woods where it's clear that convenience -- not safety -- is the main concern for hunters testing their marksmanship.

"I believe this will address those problems," Sjogren said.

The backstop to the proposed rifle range is a natural 300-foot-high hill. Main said baffles, used to mute the sound of the gunfire, also would be used on the range.

Commissioner Dave Smith echoed Sjogren's safety concerns saying he has felt his life in peril on county lands due to "unregulated target shooting."

Opponents to the plan were concerned about noise and an increased chance of fires. However, proponents of the plan said there already is unregulated shooting going on public and private land across the county. The Sports Park likely would minimize the threat of fires and stray bullets, which already is a reality in the forest.

"Target shooting is occurring now. Paintball is occurring now," said Coos County legal counsel David Koch who signed in to speak in favor of the park."

Not all were convinced that so-called outlaw hunters would migrate to the park.

"You're more optimistic than I that bootleggers will move into the regulated areas," commission member Fred Taylor said to Koch.

John Drolet, a Coquille resident who retired after 26 years as a state district water manager, said there was enough surface and ground water to store for fire suppression.

Opponents also were concerned about what they deemed was a lack of public notice. While Coos Bay resident Linda Anderson said she was not entirely opposed to the idea, she was concerned about a proposed RV park, saying the plans did not specify how large it could be. She said the notice that was sent out did not mention the RV park.

Patty Evernden, county planning director said, by state statute, the department only is required to notify adjacent landowners who live within 750 feet of the park.

"I'm just saying you should have gone farther," Anderson said.

Dorothy Clark who lives on Hemlock Lane, near the proposed shooting range, found out about the park Wednesday after someone left a stack of papers on her doorstep.

"I had no idea they wanted to have something like this in my backyard," she told the commission.

Koch and Main tried to address Anderson and Clark's concerns by stating that while the RV park is not specified, all site plans ultimately must be approved by the Board of Commissioners.

The Tioga Sports Park Association -- a nonprofit group -- anticipates spending nearly $500,000 on the park before the gate is opened to the public and the first shot is fired. Main said the park funding has come through numerous grants as well as fund-raising efforts over the years.

To use the park, gun enthusiasts would pay a daily or annual fee, Main said. Koch said fees would be set by commissioners annually.

The decision is final unless an appeal is made within 15 days. The decision does not have to go before the Board of Commissioners.