Trustees decide on the future of the Hampden-Sydney shooting range project

The expansion of the Hampden-Sydney Shooting Range is moving forward. The college's Board of Regents approved the project late last week, giving the final approval needed for construction.

Among the things that encouraged the trustees was the alumni-led fundraising campaign that raised $825,000 in recent months. In addition, school officials promised to use any funds remaining after construction to establish an endowment fund to help pay for ongoing operations and maintenance of the range, and additional funds will be made available to support the college's outdoor education program.

If you're just joining us, this refers to the college's facility at 7128 Farmville Road, on the old Slate Hill Plantation site. School officials want to make it easier to host larger shooting competitions there, as well as other outdoor education programs such as archery, biking, cross country and hiking. They also plan to create a nature trail on the site and build a cabin to complement the shooting ranges. About 48 acres of the 251-acre property will be used.

Why is this necessary? Part of the goal is to help with recruiting. Shooting is a growing and competitive sport in NCAA athletics, one that Hampden-Sydney's team is quite good at. In 2023, the school was ranked fourth in the nation. In 2024, the school was ranked 24th. And it's a program that's generating interest at the school. Hampden-Sydney says there were 30 people applying for 12 spots on the team for the current season, which began in fall 2023. Shooting events organized as part of alumni weekends, parents' weekends and homecomings have also proven popular, school officials say.

No impact from the shooting range in Hampden-Sydney

According to school officials, the project will have no impact on the historic house on the property, among other things. There will also be no impact on the cemetery at Slate Hill Plantation.

“We are all incredibly excited about the expansion of our shooting program, which is an important part of the High Adventure Program and the college's outdoor education offerings,” said Richard Pantele, dean of students at Hampden-Sydney. “We know our competitive shooting team will greatly benefit from this expansion, and we also know that all of our students will have access to both shooting sports and that the historic grounds will help advance the college's mission in creative and meaningful ways.”

Questions and answers about the project

The expansion was previously reviewed this summer by the Prince Edward Planning Commission and then the Board of Supervisors, both of which unanimously approved. According to Prince Edward Planner Robert Love, the project was also reviewed by the Virginia Department of Transportation. The planning commission had questioned whether the current road to and from the property could handle the potential increase in traffic. One of the approval requirements is that the school must upgrade the property's entrance and design and build a new commercial entrance.

As things stand, this will happen in two phases. Phase one is expanding the shooting ranges. Once that's complete, step two will be building the cabin. And Love says in many ways, this would be like building a new educational building. There will be building permits to apply for and a zoning permit to be applied for. If construction begins, county staff will be on site during this phase, making sure everything is up to code.

So far, there have been no problems with the range. Over the past two years, there have been no complaints about noise or anything else. In fact, Love said, the shooting competitions are quite subdued due to the range's location.

To be clear: As already mentioned, this is a private project, so no tax money from the district is flowing into it. The division into two parts is intended to make financing easier.

Hampden-Sydney officials say the design process will move forward this fall and building permits and the like will be obtained from the county. The goal is to begin construction on the expansion as soon as possible.