MARCH 10, 2025|
Photo – Wyoming State Capitol Building – Bigfoot99 file photo
State lawmakers reverse course on funding for the Park County shooting complex.
On Thursday, March 6th, the state Joint Conference Committee authorized two amendments to Senate File 169, Strategic Investments and Projects. One amendment set aside $10 million for a proposed state-wide shooting complex, set to be constructed outside of Cody. The other amendment allocated $9 million for security upgrades at the Wyoming State Penitentiary south of Rawlins.
In 2023, the Governor Mark Gordon allocated $10 million to design and construct a large-scale shooting complex somewhere in the state. Recognizing the facility’s potential to attract tourists, several county governments asked to locate the complex in their counties.
Rawlins officials briefly considered asking to have the facility built in Carbon County. A lack of money and resources caused the Board of Carbon County Commissioners to instead send a letter of support for Natrona County.
In the end, the state chose Park County, specifically an area south of Cody, as the home of the new shooting complex.
The fate of the project was cast into doubt after state lawmakers announced they would not pass a supplemental budget this year. Included in that budget was a combined $10 million from the state’s general fund, Game and Fish Department, and Travel and Tourism for the shooting facility.
On February 28th, Senator Larry Hicks attempted to amend the Omnibus Water Construction Bill to include that $10 million, saying that the state had already allocated the money for the shooting complex and should continue to fund the project. However, Senator Hicks’s amendment was narrowly defeated by his fellow lawmakers, many of whom supported the shooting complex but felt that the Water Omnibus Construction Bill wasn’t the appropriate place to allocate funding for the facility.
The House of Representatives was not prepared to give up on the shooting complex. Natrona County Republican Art Washut proposed an amendment to Senate File 169 that would release the money already set aside for the shooting complex.
At the March 6th Joint Conference Committee meeting, Senator Larry Hicks said the original amendment did not fit within the spirit of the Strategic Investments and Projects Bill. Instead, Senator Hicks said the Senate agreed to take the funding out of the strategic investments and projects account, also referred to as SIPA.
State Parks and Cultural Resources Director Dave Glenn said once that $10 million is freed up, his department will begin working with Park County on a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, to construct the shooting complex south of Cody.
Additionally, Carbon and Sweetwater County Representative Pam Thayer added an amendment to Senate File 169 that earmarked $18 million from the Wyoming State Penitentiary Capital Construction account for security upgrades at the Rawlins prison.
During the March 6th Joint Conference Committee meeting, Senator Hicks said the Senate was unable to form a consensus on the amendment. In the spirit of cooperation, the senator instead offered to allocate $9 million from the penitentiary capital construction account.
Department of Corrections Director Dan Shannon said the state prison is facing a new set of challenges, with illegal drone flights and narcotics shipments coming through the mail. However, Director Shannon said his primary concern is upgrading the penitentiary’s electronic security measures.
The Joint Conference Committee asked Director Shannon if the $9 million was enough to begin the necessary upgrades. The Department of Corrections director said the total project is slated to cost $18 million, but the allocated amount will hold him over until next year’s budget session.
The Joint Conference Committee unanimously voted to approve the amendments to Senate File 169. On Thursday afternoon, both the Senate and House of Representatives adopted the amended bill.
