The price tag for a police gun range under construction in Colerain Township is increasing.
Hamilton County Commissioners on Thursday approved an additional $11 million for the Regional Safety Complex project, which is creating a shared shooting range for Cincinnati Police and Hamilton County Sheriff's Office. It will replace the existing range in Evendale near Lincoln Heights and Woodlawn.
County leaders says federal tariffs, inflation and site conditions all contributed to the price increase for the project.
“It is incredibly challenging to work in an environment where the costs keep going up because of what's going on at the federal government,” Commissioner Denise Driehaus said. “We have absolutely no control over it.”
The project also faced a year-long delay because of regulations tied to a federal grant. County Administrator Jeff Aluotto says that required an environmental review.
“That was part and parcel to receiving federal funds,” he said. “Those dollars required that we conduct an environmental review, which cost us about a year of time, which led to additional inflationary costs, et cetera.”
The total cost for the Regional Safety Complex project is now more than $50 million. The City of Cincinnati is pitching in additional funds as well.
Each commissioner said it’s important to fund the project and keep construction on track.
Hamilton County broke ground on the gun range in Colerain Township in 2024. The move came after residents and officials in Evendale, Woodlawn and Lincoln Heights, asked the city of Cincinnati to close its existing facility.
Neighbors complained for decades about noise, and psychological and environmental harm from the site. They have had to listen to gun shots daily since Cincinnati began using the shooting range in the 1940s, when Evendale donated the land to the city. It operates 300 days a year.
“The community is waiting for us to move the gun range out of the Evendale area that impacts the communities nearby in Lincoln Heights and Woodlawn in particular.” Driehaus said.
The new gun range in Colerain is set to be completed by late 2027.
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