JACKSON TWP — A shooting academy originally planned for Cranberry Township is now scheduled to open next year at Jackson’s Pointe.

The Ellwand Shooting Sports Academy recently signed a mutual proposal and project option with The Buncher Corporation to build a 177,000-square-foot facility on 6.8 acres at the commerce park.

The facility will be situated to the north of a Speedway convenience store.

“We’ve been working on this for five years,” said Ellwand President Dave Gemperle. “We’re very excited to be working with the Buncher Company.”

The academy was fully approved in April 2014 to be built on 23 acres on Route 19 in Cranberry Township.

However, Gemperle said the Buncher Company’s “reputation of honesty and professionalism” and the new location’s proximity to Interstate 79 caused them to move slightly north to Jackson’s Pointe.

The Buncher Company is the real estate agency that owns the Jackson’s Pointe sites.

“Working with Buncher has been super,” he said. “They’re going to do a bang-up job with this.”

Gemperle said although the academy was happy with Cranberry Township and Gigliotti Properties, academy executives “took a step back to evaluate the proposal.”

He said academy officials talked to experts who advised that the facility be relocated, and that its developers work with the Buncher Company.

“It opens up ease for our clients,” he said of the location. “Jackson (Township) could be the center of growth going north. On the flip side, there are a lot of established businesses there.”

Although classes and competitions will be held at the academy, the shooting ranges will be open to the public. The academy is scheduled to open next fall.

A 25,000-square-foot main floor will be for indoor archery in multiple bays, including action archery and a 98-meter range to accommodate Junior Olympic Archery Development practice and crossbow shooting.

The academy will have 61 firearm shooting lanes in nine firearm bays designed for different activities.

It also will have a 75-foot law enforcement-compliant bay allowing entry of police vehicles and a second 75-foot traditional shooting bay.

Three 25-foot-long bays also will be built, two of which allow for concealed carry practice and shooting of reloaded ammunition, and one 150-foot Class III bay. Indoor bays also will have a “dial a crosswind” component that allows shooters to adjust the amount of crosswind for practice.

Other features include a small restaurant, two membership lounges, eight classrooms, a gunsmith shop, a business conference center and 4,000 square feet of retail space.

Greg Hester, director of programs and training, said in a press release that the academy will be available for law enforcement use, competitive leagues, youth groups and women’s shooting sessions, among others.

A monthly speaker will also be featured and the academy will raise money for various charities via dinners.

“When we were doing the hearings with Cranberry Township, the response we got from the public was overwhelming,” Gemperle said. “We have people from around the country anticipating our opening.”

Although Phase Two of Jackson’s Pointe was approved by township supervisors, the Buncher Company will need approval from them before advancing to construction of the academy’s facility.

Gemperle said one of the roads on the Buncher Company’s property will need to partially be dug up to accommodate part of the facility.

More information, including the academy’s progress, can be found at www.ellwandssa.com.