47° and Clear
Image
See bottom of story for photo details
The Friends Of La Luz Range [FOLLR] Foundation in conjunction with the Otero Practical Shooters Association [OPSA] presented a check in the amount of $25,000 to Otero County this quarter.
The donation will go towards the construction costs of the new General Purpose Bays. OPSA has been a fixture at the Sidney Paul Gordon Shooting Range since 1995. The FOLLR Foundation was formed to assist and promote the shooting range. The Foundation assists with certifications for volunteers to assist with events at the range.
The shooting range has a total of $165,000 to construct four additional general purpose shooting bays, build a 100-yard bay and extend the rifle bay to 400 yards. The majority of the grant came from the State of New Mexico Economic Development Department’s Outdoor Recreation Division with a grant of $99,999. The County Commissioners authorized $40,000 and OPSA donated $25,000.
The Otero Practical Shooting Association has been conducting shooting matches at the Sidney Paul Gordon Shooting Range since its inception in 1995. They currently hold USPSA pistol competition, steel challenge, 22lr pistol/rifle fun match and a cowboy action match.
The donation was made in honor of Marvin Jordan, a late member of the club who made it his life’s passion to support competitive shooting in Otero County
The late Marvin Jordan, a cobbler and leather worker, co-owned Jordan’s Shoe Repair with his father and he worked the family business until his retirement. He was a staunch supporter of Otero Practical Shooting association as an avid shooter and co-director of their Cowboy Action matches until his passing in 2013. He generously gave to the club at his passing with the understanding that the club continue to support the shooting sports in Otero County. Because of his generosity to the club, OPSA was able to donate $25,000.00 to the range for the construction of new shooting bays that the club will be allowed to use to host their local and regional shooting matches.
The Sidney Paul Gordon Shooting Range was the brain child of Paul Gordon back in the mid-1980s. Paul was a member of the Rotary International and felt that the community and the local law enforcement needed a place to shoot safely. The local Rotary club worked with the United States Border Patrol to bring the Army and Marine Corp Engineers to construct four shooting bays, consisting of two rifle bays and two pistol bays. The range opened to the public in 1992. By 2000 the range needed to grow to accommodate the number of shooters using the facility.
In 2001, Mesa Verde Construction Company stepped up and donated time and equipment to construct a 100-yard for law enforcement use and three additional general purpose bays. In 2023, the range received funding to add five additional bays to the facility. The contract for the dirt work was awarded to R.D. Blankenship by the County.
Photo at top of story from left to right: County Project Manager: Trent Parker, Executive County Secretary: Sylvia Tillman, Commissioner Vickie Marquardt, County Manager: Pamela Heltner, FOLLR Foundation Vice President: Bill Butler, FOLLR Foundation President: Ward Kenyon, OPSA Founding member: Don Bednorz, SPG Shooting Range Director: Mark Douglas, OPSA President: Garrett Schutz, FOLLR Treasurer: Edwin Dunlap, OPSA VP: Derrick Driscoll, OPSA Secretary, Terri Lyn Schutz, OPSA event coordinator: Diana Driscoll and past president of OPSA Stan Rzeszutek.
More News from Alamogordo
- Upcoming High School and College Graduations, Otero County, Lincoln County and Las Cruces Graduation dates and locations for Otero County, Lincoln County and Las Cruces
- Five Local Veterans Welcomed Home to a Hero’s Welcome Hero’s welcome a lesson in history and a great welcome home…
