The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors today approved a contract with D. L. Withers Construction, L.C., of Phoenix in the amount of $3,477,696 to provide survey, grading and site remediation for the Maricopa County Buckeye Hills Shooting Park. The 120-acre shooting park, which is 10 miles south of Buckeye and west of State Route 85, will include ranges for public use and ranges for use by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office to train deputies.
The Sheriff‘s Department currently uses a shooting range located at McMicken Dam in the West Valley, northwest of Surprise. That Sheriff’s range will close and they are expected to begin using the new Buckeye Hills range January 2, 2008.
District 4 Supervisor Max Wilson said, “The Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies will be able to rely on using a new state-of-the art shooting facility and members of the public will be able to enjoy using the shooting ranges for many years to come.”
The shooting range architect, Lorin Kramer of Kramer One Inc., designs shooting ranges across the country exclusively. He volunteers as the National Rifle Association Western Regional Supervisor of the Range Technical Team. Per his position, he is familiar with NRA standards for safety and sportsmanship. He says, “The land surrounding Buckeye Hills Park is owned by Bureau of Land Management, which means it cannot be developed. Encroachment could not affect the shooting park for decades.”
The Board of Supervisors approved the architectural phase of the project this past January. They approved the entire $18,450,000 project last August.