Plans to build a facility to accommodate MSU’s rifle and archery teams moved forward Friday at a ground-breaking ceremony at Jolly Road between Hagadorn and College roads.
The $3.5 million proposed facility, named the John and Marnie Demmer Shooting Sports, Education and Training Center after its primary funders, will also hold 4-H programs and hunting, gun safety and law enforcement training.
It will have two indoor ranges and three outdoor archery ranges, according to the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Jeffrey Armstrong, dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said the center would make MSU’s archery and shooting club teams more competitive as well as attract students to the sports.
“It’s will also benefit the university because it’s going to be another point of outreach to the community,” he said. “So the community can come in and see what largely the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and especially shooting sports are about.”
The 23,000 square-foot center could also provide a place for kinesiology, criminal justice and ROTC classes, said William Taylor, chairman of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.
Funding for the project is provided entirely through private donations, Taylor said.
For more on this story, see Monday’s edition of The State News.
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