VALDOSTA – The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office firing range held a ribbon-cutting ceremony earlier this week to mark improvements made to the shooting area.

As a part of SPLOST VIII initiative, the county completed construction of a weather shelter that encompasses the entire training field. Lowndes County Commission Chairman Bill Slaughter said the improvement was especially needed as it allows officers to train despite unfavorable weather conditions.

“When the commission looks at projects, we look at a lot of different things to justify the expenditures, but when you look at something for our public safety, we don’t have to put a tremendous amount of thought into it,” he said.

“We’re here as a commission to support you. Part of that is being trained as best as you could possibly be and providing those resources that will get you that training, but you were limited to the elements, and you all are out there in the heat. Now we at least got some cover to keep the weather off of you from the standpoint of rain and the heat.”

Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk said firearm training is “one of the most important things” that the sheriff office does and he believes the shelter will “make the team better for it.”

“We probably have one of the best training facilities in the state of Georgia. We’re still evolving. The worst thing you could hear over the radio is ‘shots fired’ but we have to train them in the way it ought to be done by the law, and now this makes our training facilities even better,” he said.

Lowndes County Manager Paige Dukes mentioned there are plans to make further improvements to the firing range.

“The next plan would be for us to look for funding, possibly in the next SPLOST, to put a permanent classroom on the training course and get rid of the trailer. We’re not done,” she said.