JONESBORO -- The city of Jonesboro and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission plan to build a 300-acre shooting range and sporting complex that can be used by police officers and civilians.
The $5 million facility will be the first of its kind in the state when it opens in 2017 on the eastern side of the Craighead County city, officials said.
Jonesboro police officers do their firearms training either at a city park or at a range owned by the Craighead County sheriff's office, Jonesboro Police Chief Rick Elliott said.
However, contractors recently built a subdivision near the city park and residents complained about the noise of gunfire. Elliott added that the sheriff's firing range was too small to accommodate rifle training.
"My goal was to build a new place for our police," Elliott said. "I ended up talking to Game and Fish and found out they can help."
The commission offered to pay for 75 percent of the construction provided that the shooting complex is open to the public, said Grant Tomlin, the commission's shooting range coordinator.
"This will be a top-notch facility," Tomlin said.
The commission has yet to approve the plan, he said. Commissioners are expected to discuss the Jonesboro proposal when they meet later this month, Tomlin said.
Elliott said the site, on Moore Road off Interstate 555 on the eastern edge of town, will feature 14 trap- and skeet-shooting stations, a 50-yard pistol shooting range, a fishing pond, pavilions, an archery range and 3-D archery targets in a wooded area.
It will be handicapped-accessible, the chief said.
The new range also will integrate police and residents and provide an opportunity to improve community relations with the Police Department, Elliott said.
The chief took leadership of Jonesboro's 192-person department in September 2014, a time when police officers in Ferguson, Mo., were under scrutiny for police violence. He said then that he wanted to develop better relations with residents to avoid any "problems."
"If you're open and transparent and show the community who you are, you can develop trust," he said.
Elliott said he and Jonesboro officials toured the commission's shooting range on Graham Road in Jacksonville and will base their facility on that.
Jerry Hill, the manager of the 3-year-old Jacksonville range, said about 6,000 trap shooters will participate at a tournament at the complex at the end of the month. Another 500 attend the state shooting championships yearly.
"We have people coming from all over the state for state and regional shows," Hill said.
"Others come from out of state for other events."
The Jacksonville complex features 40 campsites that fill during tournaments.
"It definitely is a boost to our economy," Hill said.
Tomlin said the Game and Fish Commission has a small complex in Mayflower, but Jonesboro's will be the first large one available to the public. The commission is also considering developing similar facilities in Fort Smith, Fayetteville and southwest Arkansas.
"Nothing is set in stone. No contracts have been signed yet," he said, referring to the Jonesboro proposal. "But we're focusing on the biggest population areas to develop. The more we can get involved in shooting, the better."
Elliott said he hopes to open the new complex in early 2017.
"We should have something for everyone," he said.
State Desk on 04/11/2016