Shooting complex awarded FWP grant

Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials granted the Lincoln County Shooting Complex $6,300 for a dozen shooting benches and bays as part of a slew of improvement projects underway at the facility.

The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners signed off on the grant at the body’s July 1 meeting. The dollars come just weeks after the board set aside $30,000 for possible use on improvements at the Farm to Market Road facility.

The benches and bays will be incorporated into new 100-yard lanes, according to the development grant project agreement with the state.

The facility has grown into a popular recreation site in the county in recent years. County Commissioner Mark Peck (D-1), who lobbied to shift $30,000 for potential use in future projects at the site, estimated that about a thousand users have signed up for access to the range.

He also praised members of the Libby Rod and Gun Club for acquiring grants, soliciting donations and convincing vendors to perform work at cost.

“The club has just done a tremendous job out there,” he said. “The stuff that they built and put into place, and the amount of grants and things they’ve acquired to get stuff done out there is really something.”

Work on the benches and bays must be completed by June 2021, according to the documents from the state.