The Wyoming State Shooting Complex Oversight Task Force voted Monday to recommend Park County as the proposed facility’s future home.
Fremont County had also submitted a bid for the complex, but the local proposal was cut from the applicant pool last month.
Background
The Wyoming Legislature created the shooting complex task force in 2023 to identify a location for the proposed facility, with $10 million set aside for design and construction.
“The task force met for over a year in developing the criteria and ranking matrix for site selection, desired shooting sports, business plans and other factors considered to support the successful construction and development of the state shooting complex,” a legislative news release states. “Numerous meetings were held around the state and online to solicit input from the public during the development of this selection process.”
Nine communities submitted proposals for the complex, according to the news release, including “coalitions” from Uinta County, Hot Springs County, Central Wyoming, Sheridan County, Fremont County, Cheyenne, Guernsey, Campbell County and Park County.
The list was later narrowed to two: Park County and Campbell County.
“The task force members toured those sites last week,” the news release states. “Both sites offered large properties and great opportunities for the future development of the complex, yet they were very different.
“Ultimately the Park County site was selected based upon a number of factors including the site itself, the accommodating services in the area, the prospect of drawing people to the site, and the likelihood of long-term success.”
The task force will formally send its recommendation to Gov. Mark Gordon and the Wyoming Legislature, which will need to approve the release of the funds, according to the news release.
The task force included two local members: Wyoming Rep. Pepper Ottman, R-Riverton, and Maven Outdoor Equipment Company co-founder Cade Maestas.