County shooting park to open March 2009

Digging of water lines set to begin this month at site

map by F. Andrew Taylor/ViewThe Clark County Shooting Park is scheduled to open in March 2009 at Decatur Boulevard and Buffalo Drive, just north of Moccasin Road at the base of Sheep Mountain. Advertisement

There isn't much going on there right now, but construction officially is under way for the Clark County Shooting Park, expected to become one of the best and biggest sport shooting facilities in the country.

Things are quiet at the park site, a massive plot of 2,900 acres between Decatur Boulevard and Buffalo Drive, just north of Moccasin Road at the base of Sheep Mountain. But that figures to change soon, when heavy construction equipment should be moving in to start digging water lines for the planned facility.

Until then, the top priority for park manager Don Turner has been the construction of the facility's water pumps, which is being done on the East Coast by the Contri company.

Also later this month, the project's civil package goes out to bid, and in March, the building package will follow suit.

All these details may seem like boring bureaucracy to a Southern Nevada sport shooter who just wants to know when the park will open (that's scheduled for March 2009). But it's been a long time coming for this project, even though the construction phases are just now beginning.

It took a lot of effort to secure the land for the shooting park, an effort that began in the late 1990s.

"It took a whole congressional delegation to make it happen, and they were instrumental in securing this (Bureau of Land Management) land to create what will be a world-class facility," said Las Vegas Ward 6 City Councilman Steve Ross, who sits on the shooting park's advisory committee.

"This is going to be a draw for the world shooting community. It's going to have everything you can think of to attract sportsmen from all over, including local shooters right here in Las Vegas. It's really going to be an incredible amenity on the northwest edge of town, and there are so many great things developing out here."

When it does open, the park will be much more than just a remedy for the problem of unregulated desert shooting, which provided the initial charge for its development.

"It's a project that will be carried out in phases, so it won't be able to fulfill all its objectives right away, which can be a little frustrating to those who are impatient," said Turner, the former manager of Arizona's well-known Ben Avery Shooting Facility. "But eventually its full amenities and the events we'll be having will make it very attractive for visitors."

The features of the $64 million park include a hunter education center, ranges with a total of 60 shooting points at distances of up to 200 yards for rifle, pistol, shotgun and archery shooting, a pro shop and a cafeteria. Dozens of classes and programs will be offered.

The vast majority of the flood plains the project is being built on will be protected as a natural preserve. Park areas will use only about 900 acres, and ranges and facilities will be spread far apart for safety purposes and in order to use the natural terrain as a noise buffer.

"Safety is our biggest concern, and noise is second," Turner said.

The park's construction office, located at the corner of Ann Road and Simmons Street, does not maintain normal hours, so in order to field questions about the facility and stay in touch with a curious community, Turner and the park's marketing director, Joan Miller, send out a regular e-mail newsletter and provide quite a bit of information at the county Web site, www.accessclark county.com.

As construction progresses, the efforts to spread the word about the park will intensify.

Volunteer training sessions were held earlier this month, said Miller, to prepare for the big SHOT show that's coming up.

"It's just the start of our trade show volunteer program," she said.

SHOT -- Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Recreation Trade show -- is the largest convention of its kind in the country, and the Clark County Shooting Park will host a booth at the event, set for early February at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Miller and Turner are hoping the volunteer training program will develop into an effective way to promote the park among shooters and recreation seekers.

"We're going to have different types of opportunities for volunteers in this program," Turner said. "We're really just cutting our teeth with the trade show project."