Cherokee to buy former ‘shoothouse’ from state

Cherokee County is buying a former “shoothouse” for law enforcement training in Canton for a possible future training facility for the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office. AJC FILE

Cherokee County is buying a former “shoothouse” for law enforcement training in Canton for a possible future training facility for the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office. AJC FILE

Cherokee County will pay $400,000 to buy the former “shoothouse” in Canton owned by the state and used by the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office to train law enforcement officers.

The Board of Commissioners approved purchasing the Chattin Drive property after the state removed the interior of the training facility and moved it to the city of Forsyth, and offered to sell the building to the county.

The building has an assessed value of $400,000 and is next to the Sheriff Roger D. Garrison Law Enforcement Training Center at 498 Chattin.

“At a later date, the sheriff would like us to consider putting another shoothouse in there,” County Manager Jerry Cooper told commissioners. With advances in technology, he said, “we could probably get a much better product for training purposes for the entire region and of course the sheriff’s office.”

The purchase will be funded by SPLOST funds earmarked for sheriff’s facilities. “As sales tax revenue grows, we’ll replenish that $400,000 for facilities for the sheriff’s office for the future,” Cooper said.