New indoor shooting range and retail store under construction in Windham - By Michelle Libby

Starting this fall, area residents and gun enthusiasts can bring their shooting inside at the Windham Indoor Shooting Range & Retail Store, located in the Windham Business Park adjacent to Windham Weaponry just off Route 302.

Starting around Labor Day, the retail store will open, selling parts, handguns, rifles and other gear for shooting and hunting sportsmen and women. The new indoor range will feature “state of the art” Action Target Total Containment Trap (TCT), HEPA air filtration, and target retrieval systems. The 12-lane range split into two separate bays is slated to open in October. The range will be open to the public and will offer classes on everything from which firearm is best for a certain person to advanced technique classes. 

The company is not owned by Windham Weaponry, but is a sister company to it, with Windham Weaponry being one of the investors. This will not change the Windham Weaponry business, but it “gives us another avenue for growth as an investor in this project,” said Allen Faraday, project manager.

“Several years ago we looked at the possibility of looking at having a range,” said Faraday. “We are a manufacturing company, primarily the AR- platform. It’s a fairly narrow product line and is susceptible to market fluctuations. More even in terms of seasonality of the business, we really became convinced there was a need [for an indoor range] in Southern Maine.” 

Faraday toured ranges all over the country and worked with Action Target out of Utah, that sells and designs range equipment and has helped with the range development on the Windham project. Initially it was thought they might build a new building, but then decided that they had the space for the 25-yard range in an existing building that was being used for storage. 

“We realized we had room for a very professional, large range with state of the art equipment,” Faraday said. Also because it was an existing building they skipped the planning board stage. They have worked with code enforcement. “Working with Windham has been pleasant and agreeable,” Faraday said. 

 

Eight Windham Weaponry employees are working on the project to help with building and smaller jobs. When it comes time to hire employees, trained professionals through the NRA and certified range safety officers (RSOs) will be brought in, as well as adjunct instructors. All of the contractors have been local businesses, Faraday said.

Last week, Peter Joyce, owner of SRT Concepts, LLC, was brought on as the general manager of Windham Indoor Shooting Range & Retail Store. Joyce has an extensive background in the firearms training industry. He is a retired veteran of the Portland Maine Police Department and co-founder of the department’s Special Reaction Team. He founded and operated Weaponcraft for 14 years until he sold it in 2007. 

“Accidents can happen anytime, anywhere and to anyone, if they let their guard down. That is why training is so important. It’s a huge responsibility that goes along with holding and handling a firearm,” Joyce said. 

Faraday also attended a two day seminar on handling lead in indoor ranges put on by the NRA. Windham Weaponry was already certified in lead handling and disposal because of their current work. In the range there will be a bullet trap, which will funnel the ammunition into a deceleration chamber and then drop into a plastic bucket, then be recycled. 

“The entire design is based on being comfortable for new customers, existing customers and very experienced customers, and it’s designed around safety,” Faraday said. The range stalls, targets, steel plates, HVAC exhaust and containment system will all come from Action Target. 

Safety will be a huge part of Windham Indoor Shooting Range & Retail Store. From the sound barriers to the background checks, every detail has been thought out by the team and Action Target. 

“We will be a full service operation. Every employed RSO, everyone will know what we expect for safety,” said Faraday. Security will also be ramped up on the premises with additional cameras on the exterior and 14 cameras within the range and retail complex to have visibility to see what’s going on everywhere. 

Windham Police Chief Kevin Schofield will also be giving his input about the safety of the complex, according to Faraday. 

At the range, people will be allowed to bring in their own firearm as long as the safety requirements of the range are being met. Ammunition, up to .50 caliber including full automatic, can be purchased at the retail store. 

The curriculum for classes is still being developed as is standard operating procedures and safety requirements.

Walk-ins are welcome and trainings will be held regularly on tops like gun safety, rifle safety, women’s only, youth classes, elective courses and private lessons in a special classroom. There will also be competitive leagues, Faraday said. There will also be classes on maintaining firearms and a gun smith on site for servicing firearms. There will also be the opportunity to rent firearms.

“When training, you have to train in the proper techniques so that if you have to use that firearm in a defensive situation at a high degree of stress, you’re prepared,” Joyce said. 

RSOs will be looking for what will be the best fit for what a customer is looking for and if they are “not comfortable selling to someone, we certainly won’t,” Faraday said. 

There will be a viewing area and lounge with level 8 ballistic glass. The HVAC system is state of the art and makes sure that the lead residue will not harm the shooter or anyone outside of the range.

“Everything is really well thought through for cleanliness and safety for not only for customers, but employees also,” said Faraday. It took several months developing the plan, the current one they are working with is the tenth version, he added. 

“Their demand for quality and customer service is great to see. They’re doing everything the way it’s supposed to be done,” Joyce said. 

 

The rates will be competitive and there will be memberships with some benefits. The controlled environment will always have someone on duty and will be clean, bright and welcoming. The hours are anticipated to be seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For more information, email Faraday at afaraday@windhamweaponry.com. For more on Windham Indoor Shooting Range & Retail Store visit, www.windhamindoorshootingrange.com.

Groundbreaking for Windham's Village Green - By Walter Lunt

Amid the construction noise of C.R. Tandberg’s heavy equipment, representatives of the Windham Historical Society, Windham town officials, including the legislative delegation, business people and community residents gathered last week to celebrate the next big step toward the creation of Windham’s Village Green history park. The complex, to be located on a two and one-half acre field between the town hall and the society’s old town house museum, is slated to become a multi-unit museum and living history center dedicated to preserving the stories and artifacts of Windham, from early settlement (1734) to the present.

Society president Linda Griffin broke ground with a gold shovel and in prepared remarks reviewed the past five years of planning, engineering, fund raising, permitting and just plain dogged determination. Griffin acknowledged and thanked an extensive list of volunteers, benefactors and supporters that helped bring the project to this stage. 

The park got its start with the purchase of property abutting the society. The two and a half acre piece included the homestead of the late Julia Reeves, an 1855 Greek revival house fronting Gray Road (Route 202). Donations and proceeds from the sale of an earlier historic house owned by the society paid for about a third of the $168,000 cost of the Reeves property. Rental income from the house helped to cover the mortgage, and smart budgeting enabled the society to make extra payments toward the principal. After only five years, the society now owes only about $23,000. The park will, in time, support 10 or 12 separate structures, each with its own historic purpose.

Current construction will result in the completion of a driveway, parking lot and drainage system. In addition to the old town house museum (1833), two small libraries from earlier times have been moved on to the site, and an old shop is nearing its conversion into a one-room schoolhouse.

The map shown was the original conception of Village Green, taken from the Society’s five-year plan begun in 2011. Minor changes have taken place.

The former South Windham Library, recently acquired and not pictured here, will feature displays relating to South Windham. Each of its four walls and a proposed future ell will feature photos, artifacts and written histories of the Cumberland and Oxford Canal, early mills, the rail line and depot, hose and hose reels used during the time of horse drawn fire wagons, and other topics related to what once was Windham’s Main Street.

The Old Grocery museum is slated to be moved to Village Green from its present location on the corner of Windham Center Road and Route 202. It is fully equipped with early Windham artifacts and occasionally open to the public. The building will feature the wide variety of original household items it once sold as a general store, including tools and hardware, penny candy, clothing, animal feed and grain, and food and foodstuffs. Early photos show men sitting around a stove in the typical fashion of early general stores.

Eventually, an addition to the current town house museum is anticipated. It would include a lecture hall that could accommodate up to 100 people. Historical programs presented by the society often attract audiences beyond capacity. The facility would also have a climate controlled room to properly preserve old documents and sensitive artifacts.

The Old Town House museum will continue to house the society’s offices and, in addition to archival work, be used for historical and genealogical research. 

The old Windham Center Library, formerly located beside the Old Grocery museum, was moved to its present site many years ago to preserve its historic status. Plans include the re-creation of the early library with many original volumes and card files. Other possibilities include historic clothing (especially appropriate given that the building was once a tailor shop), period furniture, the trade and tools of Windham’s early doctors and the history and artifacts of the town’s native Indian population.

Originally conceived to accommodate the Society’s annual plant sale and its future orchards and historical gardens, the so-called potting shed is under re-consideration and its status uncertain.

A disassembled New England style barn sits covered and protected on the Village Green grounds. The aging post and beam structure was donated from another location in Windham. The Society will seek grant money to re-assemble it in the park. Its use will be a display area for large items such as carriages, machines and antique vehicles. Warm weather lectures and community gatherings are envisioned, as well as classes, demonstrations and even dances.

A pole barn would accommodate open air demonstrations and displays, such as antique farm implements.

The society plans a reconstructed post and beam blacksmith shop with a coal-fired forge and hand cranked blower for repairing artifacts and creating metal tools and equipment. Society blacksmith Sam Simonson will conduct demonstrations, and perhaps give lessons, of 19^th century blacksmithing methods.

Formerly a gun shop, this building is under renovation and being transformed into a late 19^th century one-room schoolhouse. Project coordinator Dave Tanguay has helped to gather desks and benches from Windham’s early Quaker and other schools. He envisions a fully equipped and authentic school house complete with an early American flag, lanterns, pot belly stove, teacher’s desk with hand bell, water bucket and dipper, and a slate chalkboard. Lectures and even old-fashioned schoolhouse lesson experiences for young and old are anticipated. Thanks to an Eagle Scout project, an addition to this building was constructed in 2014 to serve as a “cloak room.”

Currently rental property, the 1855 Greek revival house will likely be one of the last units to be developed in the Village Green. Eventually, the interior will be converted into an authentic Victorian era home with period architectural styles and furnishings.

The existing garage will likely serve the park as a storage and repair facility.

In addition to its aesthetic appeal, the “gazebo on the green” will function as a comfortable place for visitors to meet, converse, read, or simply reflect. It would serve as a centralized spot for weddings or a musical performance.

The orchards, pictured near the parking lot, already have a start. Long time society member George Ricker has donated several heirloom apple trees and has helped train other members to oversee their care.

 Griffin sees the Village Green as a destination park. “Right now people have to travel to Augusta, Norlands or Willowbrook,” she pointed out. “We want to be not only a museum with stand-alone displays, but also a living history center.” Reflecting on the distinction, Griffin said visitors will be able to engage in a one-room schoolhouse experience, not just look at it. Presenters in full period costumes will demonstrate and invite visitors to participate in spinning, weaving, caning, tending herb gardens and canning. Kids can participate in making ice cream, turning the crank, chopping the ice and spooning the salt. “Nobody wants a stuffy, touch-free atmosphere,” said Griffin. “Let’s revive the industrial arts using“And best of all, we’re within walking distance of the schools. Imagine the possibilities.”

Ongoing information on the creation of Village Green can be accessed at www.windhamhistorical.org. 

Windham Historical Society held a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, June 25, for its new expansion called The Village Green, planned to be a living history center. Shown here, from the left: Windham Code Enforcement Officer Heather McNally, State Rep. Mark Bryant, State Rep. Patrick Corey, Maine Sen. Bill Diamond, Windham Historical Society member Lyn Tanguay, WHS Vice President Dave Tanguay, WHS member Jim Hanscom, Windham Town Manager Tony Plante, Peter Godsoe of Norway Savings Bank, Town Councilor Chair David Nadeau and WHS President Linda Griffin. Also present but not in photo: Town Planner Ben Smith, Asst. Town Planner Amanda Lessard, Technology Service and Reference Librarian Barbara Kelley; Adult Services Librarian Sally Bannen and Tim Tandberg and his construction crew. 

Photos by Brian Brigham.

Everyone hearts Raymond and July 4th celebration happening this Saturday - By Michelle L

This weekend Raymond hopes to put itself on the map with a celebration like other area towns hold, but this one will feature everything Raymond. 

“People are looking to do something around the fourth,” co-organizer Carrie Colby said. This event gives them the opportunity to see what Raymond has to offer. 

“It will be very modest,” said Danielle Loring, the other co-organizer and an employee of the Town of Raymond. “We want to do it right.” 

At 9 a.m. the day begins with the recognition and presentation to a Civil War Medal of Honor awardee 154 years after the start of the Civil War. There will be a ceremony at Riverside Cemetery, 168 Plains Road. 

At 10:30 a.m., there will be a Fourth of July parade from Main Street to Mill Street featuring Raymond softball, antique cars, Boy and Girl Scouts and other local entries. At the Sherri Gagnon Park, 63 Mill Street, there will be vendors selling a variety of items. Food like hot dogs and hamburgers, popcorn, bake sale items and more. 

“Lots of people volunteered,” said Colby. “We’ve had great support from the fire department and the sheriff’s office.”

Raymond Village Library is sponsoring a bounce house for kids and Boy Scout Troop 800 is making a monkey bridge for anyone to cross. There will be a dunk tank with opportunities to soak teachers, coaches and kids. There will be other fun events at the park. 

“We are keeping it scaled back so we can start small and build,” said Colby. 

At 12:30 p.m. the pie eating contests begin with three age divisions, sponsored by the Good Life market, RRC and Village Donut Shop. The winner of each category wins a prize. 

“The businesses and residents we’ve talked to are excited,” said Loring. The support from businesses in Raymond has been tremendous, they said. They have received $3,500 in pledges from 15 businesses and more than 20 are helping out with resources, Loring said. The event received no money from the Town of Raymond, but will receive services from public works and other town services. 

The event is free to attend. 

With the weather looking good for Saturday, Colby and Loring are optimistic about a strong turnout. After all, everyone “hearts” Raymond, ME.

Veterans Park dock is in - By Michelle Libby

A dock has been put in at Veterans Park in Raymond to allow people on the lake and from Frye Island to have a place to leave their boats while walking to Raymond’s business district. The dock is big enough for two boats to tie up at a time. It was added to decrease the amount of erosion when boats were pulled up on the shore. 
 

The dock was donated by Panther Run Marine, Bill Coppersmith of Fisherman’s Catch and other local businesses, according to Raymond’s director of development Danielle Loring. 

In addition to easier access for boaters, it also is an option for fire/rescue personnel when transporting emergency patients from the lake or Frye Island. 

The dock will be in from Memorial Day to Columbus Day.

Photo: Rev. Joyce Long and three boys from the Casco Village Church Vacation Bible Camp took some time to use the new dock at Raymond’s Veterans Park on Tuesday afternoon.