The Washington County Board met last night and addressed the firearms shooting range in the county.  Zoning Committee Chairman, Vic Shubert talked about a representative from the Illinois State Rifle Association coming out and making recommendations of adding a baffle, which will make the rear berm seem like it is 20 feet tall, which is a safety measure.  Owner Alan Wiggers has agreed to this recommendation and will wait for the written report before making the changes.  He also agreed not to have firing training out there until the changes have been made.  Concerned neighbor Matt Meinert was not satisfied with the ISRA representative’s credentials and wanted the special use permit rescinded to keep anyone from shooting on the range, as he requests the National Rifle Association assess the range.  Contact was finally made with the NRA, but it was unclear if anyone was going to come out anytime soon.  The motion to amend or rescind the permit at the February full Board meeting was not legal, as it was not on the agenda, according to Washington County State’s Attorney Heath Hooks.  They did have options to 2 motions last night of rescinding the permit or modifying it.  By rescinding the permit, Wiggers would not be able to charge people to train on the range, but he and anyone else he invited would be allowed to shoot whenever, as it is a private range, as long as no one is being charged, and there are no laws to govern that shooting.  Even though Meinert was on the agenda and Wiggers was not, Wiggers was asked to present his side to the Board, especially if they were to vote in reference to the special use permit.  He again stated that he would not have any firearm training on the range, until the recommendations were met and he invited everyone on the Board to come out and learn more about the range and what is done there.  Schubert made the committee’s recommendation, which was to not rescind the permit, as the neighbors and Wiggers were making progress and coming to some agreements.  Also, that Wiggers would need to restart the process from the beginning and he has complied with what he has been asked and in Schubert’s opinion, that would be unfair to him.  He also said the permit could be rescinded at a later date if recommendations weren’t made and it wasn’t working out.  A motion to rescind the special use permit was made and seconded, but it failed by a vote of 10 to 5.  A motion to modify could not be made without detailing the restrictions, so everyone will wait for the report to begin changes, as well as to see if the NRA will show up.