[Joe Potosky]

Groundbreaking Thursday for new northwest Palm Beach County shooting range | Eye on Palm Beach County

Groundbreaking is set for Thursday morning for the new Palm Beach County Shooting Sports Park, a public target shooting facility being built by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in partnership with Palm Beach County.

The 150-acre complex, near the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area in northwestern Palm Beach County, will feature target shooting, including Olympic-style shooting events, as well as hunter safety courses. Its first phase is set to open next year.

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As well as skeet, trap., 5-stand and sporting clays....

The complex will have five (5) combination Olympic Bunker / International Skeet Ranges.

I suspect one large international shoot each winter (one for Olympic Skeet and one for Olympic Bunker) bringing in shooters from around the world. Major sponsors involved.

 

[Claypoppy]

Sounds like a great new facility.

I would like to know more about how Palm Beach County and the State of Florida (FWC) were able to work together to make this possible.

 

[Joe Potosky]

I would like to know more about how Palm Beach County and the State of Florida

A news release stated that Palm Beach County Shooting Sports Park is the most densely populated county without a major shooting facility.

$3.1 million in the budget fixed that.

It also helped that other plans for the area where it is to be built kept falling apart.

* I was told by several shooters you might not see the bunkers until 2018.

 

[Joe Potosky]

 

[himark]

The above plan is very similar to Heartland Shooting park in Nebraska. I always thought that sporting clays range in a circle shooting inward was unique but I guess its the new way to go.

 

[Joe Potosky]

sporting clays range in a circle shooting inward was unique

Lead harvest.... If you have the land the way to go.

 

[Claypoppy]

Thanks Joe,

The plans look like it's going to be a great facility. You stated that "3.1 million in the budget fixed that.". Who's budget...Palm Beach County, the State of Florida, a combination of both...? Is 3.1 million the cost of the entire project?

What I'm really interested in is exactly who spent what and the total cost of the entire project.

In my wildest dreams, I can't imagine the Florida county that our club is in (Alachua County) putting up anything CLOSE to that amount for a similar facility here. The pockets in Palm Beach County are obviously a LOT deeper than most.

 

[Joe Potosky]

The state gave the money. As for other monies, have no idea.

As they already had the land, a big savings from the start.

Proposed range: http://my.sfwmd.gov/webapps/publicMeetings/viewFile/6368

As it also Provides Hunter Safety Education and Training the feds most likely kicked in $$$$, but haven't seen how much. Usually the state and locals have to put up a certain percentage to receive the funds. A good deal for states and locals.

Pittman-Robertson. Federal Funding from P-R pays for up to 75 percent of project costs, with the States putting up at least 25 percent.

 

[TBaber]

I was there. A lot of politicians. There was the vice chairman of the County commission, state senator, various state representatives. They've been working on this 20 years. The money is coming from a fish and wildlife commission foundation that use money from Robinson Pitman act. There been so many gun sales in recent years they have a lot of money in their account

T

 

[Joe Potosky]

The money is coming from a fish and wildlife commission foundation that use money from Robinson Pitman act

Going with the state put up 25% ($3.1 million) as required under Pittman-Robertson. The feds gave 75% ($9.3 million) for total spending of $12.4 million on the project, not withstanding any county funds.

The Pittman-Robertson federally awarded money has a drop dead date. I think two years. Use it or lose it. The state doesn't have a right to keep it if a project doesn't go forward.

If a state doesn't budget their share and start spending the money in two years, the Pittman-Robertson money goes back into the federal pot. The process starts over and nothing guaranteed.

 

[Ralph1100]

just to be clear - Palm Beach County has nothing to do with this new range. They sold/transferred/gifted the land to the state. The range will be operated by FWC.

 

[Setterman]

(5) Olympic Bunker, International Skeet fields? How many Bunker and Olympic skeet shooters are there in Florida?

We have about 3 in my state!

 

[Pull & Mark]

Hey Joe: I knew all about it. Except---That I had no idea about the International Skeet and Bunker fields part!!! You are the first to say anything about that. I've had a copy of the field layout for over 2 years. The first phase was suppose to be "Opened" this summer. I still wonder if the 3rd phase will ever even happen (the one with trap and skeet fields). You know how gov. jobs over run over budget and how things (epa) are always popping up (extra costs) after it starts. I just don't know if it would even pay for them to open Skeet and Trap fields around here anymore??? Esp. When you factor in about 30 grand each for a concrete type combo field. The pistol Rifle, & Sporting Clays will all go over big though, but this is my back yard so to speak. There is very little Skeet and Trap at Markham Park these days to the south. To the north, you have South Florida Shooting sports, and this club has very low skeet and trap shooters as well. The next club to the north would be Indian River club and they don't have hardly any Skeet or Trap shooters as well. The one club to the west in Okeechobee has trap and skeet fields, and once again very little shooters shooting trap or skeet there as well. So Unless the Shoots come in from the East---by Boat I don't know where enough shooters would even come from. The winter snow bird shooters are way down too this far south, at least for the last handfull of years as well.
I sat in at both meetings for a new county park at the 20 mile bend a decade ago. The police shooting range is there right now, I guess police did not like this idea. LOL. The FWC had money back (a decade ago) then to help support a public shooting range back then, just a year or 2 after the Palm Beach Trap and Skeet club closed its doors. But it never got off the ground. I was afraid this park was going to do the same, that's why I am still wondering if the 3rd phase will ever happen. I'll keep my fingers crossed and play the waiting game. There was a bunker trap at Palm Beach Trap and Skeet Club, but from lack of use the manager closed it down and would not open it up for the last few years the club was opened. So I see little reason to open up another bunker trap around here as well. Hope all goes as planned, but I still have some doubts about all 3 phases. The state/county has to build a shooting park there, because the land was donated by Mecca Farms just for this reason. break em all Jeff