By Ernie Over
WyoToday
The state legislative committee charged with recommending the site for a state shooting facility has issued a survey and is asking the public to provide input.
State Representative Pepper Ottman from House District 34 of Riverton, a member of the committee, said the survey is easy to fill out and is available online.
The survey seeks to know the respective respondents’ shooting background and qualifications, then it asks for the top shooting sports or facilities that they would expect to find in a “world-class shooting complex.”
In addition to facilities for the shooting complex itself, the lawmakers also want to know what kind of amenities should be available at the site, or close by the site, such as motels, availability of restaurants and filling stations and such.
The survey will be open until Friday, Sept. 15.
The legislative committee has scheduled a meeting to discuss the location of such a facility in the state for Sept. 27 in Riverton, at a location to be announced. The Fremont County Association of Governments has endorsed the idea of Fremont County hosting the facility and are encouraging the public to attend the meeting.
Shoshoni Mayor Joel Highsmith said during a recent meeting that Fremont County is an ideal site for the new facility. “We have the best area for the shooting facility, we have no wind to speak of, we have a dry climate, and our high elevation helps us,” Highsmith said.
Riverton Mayor Tim Hancock agreed, adding that the county “would have the home field advantage” for the upcoming session in Riverton. “We have a lot going for us to get to the head of the pack. To leverage our advantages is an excellent idea.”
A similar facility in New Mexico is 34 square miles in size. It is unknown whether the Wyoming facility would be that large. A lot depends on results of the public survey, which is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WyomingShootingComplex.