Ned Houk shooting range making progress

A Clovis city official said revising plans for a shooting training facility at Ned Houk Park is methodical but progressing.

“It’s moving along, it’s just slow,” said City Commissioner Gary Elliott with regard to the Archery Wing Shooting Training Center. “We recently had a good meeting with (Shooting Program Coordinator — New Mexico Game & Fish) Jessica Fisher. The project is coming along pretty good, but in a slow manner.”

In March 2016, the Clovis Parks, Recreation and Beautification Committee voted to recommend a state-constructed range, which officials, at the time, said would include roughly 720 acres used to build the site, calling for 100- and 200-yard ranges, military specs, in addition to action bays to shoot small firearms and four trap skeet overlay fields that would allow for hosting Amateur Trapshooting Association and National Skeet Shooters Association competitions.

It ran into opposition at the city commission level, with commissioners concerned a full-fledged shooting range would result in government competing with private businesses.

Meanwhile, in September, Mayor David Lansford introduced the idea of a proposal more narrow in scope that would not include tactical firearms, defensive training or long range shooting.

“What we are focusing on presently will include JrROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) air guns, trap and skeet shooting,” Elliott said. “It would be an Archery Wing Shooting Training Center. We have a few little things we need to tweak, but it’ll be a state of the art facility good for the whole community. We’re hopeful we’ll be able to present something to the full commission soon.”

Mayor Pro Tem Juan Garza echoed Elliott’s assessment of the session with Fisher.

“It was very productive,” he said. “She made some recommendations, such as adding more storage rooms and expanding the restroom facilties. She also referenced the idea of volunteers and in-kind donations as a means of aiding in the operation of the venue. We’re still in the early stages but are excited about the possibilities.”

The Parks, Recreation and Beautification Committee is slated to meet on Monday.

“I’m pleased the city reversed field and decided not to go with the idea of implementing tactical firearms and the like,” Clovis resident Gary King said. “I don’t think we need that kind of heavy firearms use in the park. If folks want that, they can go to the shooting range. It seems like the plan the city is trying to work out now would be more beneficial to youth and their competitions.”

Meanwhile, Clovis resident Karen Lawrence expressed concerns about other park projects she considered a greater priority.

“I would like to see the city put more effort into beautification,” she said. “I don’t like the shooting in a park setting. And while the heavy arms and military style training stuff has been taking out of the plan, I like the idea of a park being a place where individuals and families can have fun peacefully.”