Explosives testing site angers homeowners

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. -- It’s the peace and quiet up at Pasour Mountain that attracted many of the people who live there, north of Bessemer City, to the homes they bought or built.

“I could’ve moved to Charlotte,” James Coblentz explains. “I want here. I want quiet.”

That’s why he and so many of his neighbors off Besstown Road are so angry at the idea of a gun range and explosives test site nearby.

The project is a proposal of the city of Gastonia Police Department, in conjunction with UNC-Charlotte’s Department of Civil Engineering and the Department of Defense. Those agencies would like to work together on experiments and training on land that is currently owned by the city of Gastonia. 

Projects would include explosions to test bomb resilient products in production and already on the market. 

They need a zoning change to do it. It’s a proposal that will be considered by the Board of Adjusters on Thursday. Police Chief Terry Sult plans to attend to pitch a project he calls important to prepare for the future.

“There’s an economic development aspect to it also,” Sult explains.

He says this facility would do world class work and attract companies who work in Homeland Security fields to the area. Sult also wants area law enforcement to use the facility to practice for potential disasters, like an IED explosion or attack on a school.

He says the area will be reinforced for safety and for quiet with gates and soundproofing berms. Sult says the nearest home would be at least 1,800 feet from any area in use.

Neighbors like Coblentz say that reassurance is not enough.

“It only takes one incident. We are all human,” Coblentz said.

The project still requires approval, but very little construction. The land would be used almost as-is. The board meets at 4 p.m. Thursday at the Gaston County Administration Building.