CLARKSVILLE — A recent agreement between University of the Ozarks and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has launched the public phase of a fundraising campaign by the university to build an Olympic-level shooting sports facility in Clarksville.
The memorandum of understanding outlines the construction and operation of the facility and was signed earlier this month in Little Rock by Austin Booth, director of the AGFC, and Richard Dunsworth, president of U of O.
Under the agreement, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will donate $2 million in matching funds to the project and the university will raise the remaining cost of the project. The facility will be open to the public and will be constructed on a 140-acre parcel owned by the university just south of Interstate 40.
According to Dunsworth, with the AGFC’s pledge, a total of $4.5 million has been committed to the project, including $1.5 million from the university and $1 million from the city of Clarksville.
“We are one step closer to having a world-class shooting facility right here in Clarksville,” Dunsworth said. “We have the full support of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the city of Clarksville and Johnson County, and now we’re ready to fully launch the fundraising initiative.”
The AGFC recently devoted an entire division’s focus to recreational shooting, which includes archery, competitive shotgun shooting and shooting range development.
Booth says the matching pledge is a continuation of the AGFC’s commitment to recreational shooting and its role in conservation.
“Aside from many being hunters and anglers and playing active roles in conservation, all recreational shooters contribute to conservation through the purchase of firearms and ammunition, which supports excise taxes earmarked for conservation work throughout the nation,” Booth said. “By increasing ranges in Arkansas, we’re not only helping remove barriers to hunting, but we’re also ensuring all who contribute to conservation are represented in our efforts.”
University officials said construction on the first phase of the project could begin once the university raises an additional $10 million. Dunsworth said the fundraising initiative would include naming-rights opportunities for donors.