O'Fallon, Saint Charles outline regional police training 'castle'; residents raise noise concerns

City of O'Fallon project staff presented detailed progress on a multi-building regional police training facility sometimes called the "castle," describing vehicle-operations and firing-range features, classroom and simulated training buildings, and next construction steps.

Chris, the meeting presenter, said the site will include an observation tower with rappelling and elevated-shooting stations, a bolt/centrifugal trap for the 20-lane outdoor firing range, a 10,000-square-foot simulated 'sim house' with interchangeable walls and catwalks, and a roughly 27,000-square-foot classroom building with partitionable rooms and kennel space. He said the EVOC (emergency vehicle operations course) is approximately 1 mile long and includes a skid pad and signalized 4-way intersection controls operating from the control tower.

On construction status, staff said phase 1a site grading was completed in 2024 and the 200-yard firing range was completed in 2025; current activity is in phase 2 with the team working to pour EVOC track concrete and skid-pad final pours so the site can host a March showcase training in St. Louis. Utilities work includes an upgraded 12-inch water main along Highway 79 intended to allow future tie-ins.

On governance and use, the presenter said the facility will be operated by a board of directors composed of City of O'Fallon and City of Saint Charles representatives and that a number of outside agencies have already trained at the site. "This is gonna be a one-stop shop that'll be specifically for O'Fallon and Saint Charles City," Chris said, noting other agencies have expressed interest and that outside agencies would pay to use the facility under negotiated agreements.

Residents at the meeting raised noise concerns. One resident said the range is "loud" from about a mile and a half away; Chris acknowledged the shooting range noise is audible and said acoustical treatments had been added inside the range structure, completed in October, to reduce interior-generated noise. Operations details — including exact hours and how often live firing will occur — were described as matters for the operations team and the facility's board to determine; no final hours were announced.

The board and staff reiterated that some activities (sirens, vehicle training) will produce intermittent noise and that the site was raised out of the flood plain to meet planning and zoning elevation requirements. Staff also noted available open acreage could allow future expansion but said no expansion plans are now underway.

Next steps: staff will continue construction through phase 2, finalize operations agreements and staffing plans, and aim to have site elements in place for the planned showcase training. No formal action on operating hours or contracts was taken during the meeting.