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been done across the country and across North Carolina I found a lot of documentation across the country where 1 <br />proximity to a shooting range can have an impact on value. There are plenty of examples where they do not when 2 <br />they are safe and regulated and follow modern techniques. You have outdoor facilities where there is really no 3 <br />potential for projectiles escaping the site and those areas are considered safe and fine. The other side of that is 4 <br />where you have areas that are not as well regulated or their safety concerns that have come up specifically in Harnett 5 <br />County. Drake’s Landing was in the papers because they actually had projectiles escaping from their facility and I’ve 6 <br />done research out and around Harnett County. The county assessor actually dropped values on all the properties 7 <br />around Drake’s Landing. If you were within ½ mile, they dropped you by 12 percent and they had a sliding scale 8 <br />going out to a mile, so yes, where there is a concern for safety and there was issues where things were not handled 9 <br />to a set level of safety, there is an impact on value and that is recognized by the public and clearly recognized by the 10 <br />county assessor in that regard. As that pertains to this project, if there is a shooting range type activity going on in an 11 <br />area where it is unlicensed, unregulated and unsupervised, I would say it would be reasonable for the public to be 12 <br />concerned because that would be an impact on property value. 13 <br /> 14 <br />T.C. Morphis: Mr. Kirkland, don’t mean to interrupt your train of thought but if you flip to page 5 of your appraisal 15 <br />document, could you read that first sentence under conclusion. 16 <br /> 17 <br />Richard Kirkland: The unlicensed and unregulated shooting range, if allowed to continue would substantially injure 18 <br />value of adjoining and nearby property. 19 <br /> 20 <br />T.C. Morphis: And that is your professional opinion? 21 <br /> 22 <br />Richard Kirkland: That is my professional opinion. 23 <br /> 24 <br />T.C. Morphis: We are all talking about, is it a range, isn’t a range. Suppose the board decides this is not a shooting 25 <br />range, does that matter or is it an issue of perception? 26 <br /> 27 <br />Richard Kirkland: All market value is a matter of perception… what a willing buyer and seller is going to work out at. 28 <br />If you go out on a Saturday and you are looking at property to buy a house and there is that level of shooting activity 29 <br />going on out there, you are not going to be asking whether that is licensed, whether that is actually a shooting range 30 <br />or just sort of like a shooting range. 31 <br /> 32 <br />T.C. Morphis: So all the noise you heard and all that, that could affect the property values even if it is not called a 33 <br />shooting range. 34 <br /> 35 <br />Larry Wright: You say you work in the triangle? 36 <br /> 37 <br />Richard Kirkland: Yes sir. 38 <br /> 39 <br />Larry Wright: Are you familiar with the area of Hopson Road and Alexander Drive in the Research Triangle Park? 40 <br /> 41 <br />Richard Kirkland: Yes. 42 <br /> 43 <br />Larry Wright: Are you familiar where the Environmental Protection Agency is and the National Institutes of Health? 44 <br />Alexander Drive and go over to Hopson Road? 45 <br /> 46 <br />Richard Kirkland: I have a vague recollection of the EPA building but not sure I can tell you anything specific. 47 <br /> 48 <br />Larry Wright: When have you been there? 49 <br /> 50 <br />30