The Adirondack Park Agency Regulatory Programs Committee voted Thursday to recommend a project hearing to further scrutinize a four-year-old application to build a weapons range for testing howitzer cannon barrels in Lewis, Essex County, sending the measure to the agency’s full board on Friday morning.
Michael Hopmeier of Unconventional Concepts, Inc. proposes the firing range for testing internal ballistics of cannon barrels on a nearly 200-acre property.
A portable 155mm howitzer would fire projectiles up to 30 times a year during weekdays into a target about 675 feet away. No explosive warheads would be used, according to the application.
The range is proposed on land classified for rural use. The agency issued the project six incomplete permit applications between 2021 and July 2025.
The committee on Thursday heard several issues to be considered at the project hearing, including whether the proposed testing range is compatible with the park’s land use, development plan and rural land use classification; would have an adverse impact on park water, land or air resources; noise levels produced by the blasts and if sufficient noise mitigation strategies exist; and the project’s impact on area wildlife.
If approved by the full board, a judge would oversee the hearing and have authority to define the scope of issues. The APA board would make a final decision to deny, approve or approve with modifications or conditions.
Unconventional Concepts, Inc. is a professional engineering and technical consulting firm specializing in issues related to counter-terrorism analysis, preparedness response operations and national security, according to its website.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to indicate Thursday’s vote was taken by the Adirondack Park Agency regulatory committee.