SLO County outdoor shooting range forced to close Dec. 31
An event held at the SLO Sportsmen’s Association shooting range in 2021. Photo courtesy of Facebook.
Closure is due to contract violations with state
– The San Luis Obispo Sportsmen’s Association shooting range, located off Highway 1, between SLO and Morro Bay will close Dec. 31 due to multiple alleged violations of the contract held with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The department released audit results in March which found unauthorized renovations, payment issues, and unapproved housing, leading to the non-renewal of the contract, according to the San Luis Obispo Tribune.
“It’s been real hard on me,” said Sportsmen’s Association general manager Julia Soto to The Tribune. “I never wanted to see this happen. The range is very special and very important, and I would love to see it keep going and be involved in it.”
The logo of the SLO Sportsmen’s Association. Photo courtesy of Facebook.
The over 440 acre shooting range has been operated by the Sportsmen’s Association since 2018; the property is under the state department’s ownership.
One contract violation included non-authorized property renovations, such as those done to the office building that did not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, road surfacing, and berm construction. In addition, multiple community members were found living on the shooting range property; the contract had noted that only one employee may have a housing lease with the state department and be permitted to reside on the property.
Collection of payments and undercharging members were also part of the contract violations. In accordance with the contract, any payments made at the shooting range would be done through the department’s system and taken into the department’s bank account. The association would submit an invoice and be reimbursed monthly by the department.
All fees were specified in the contract and did not include membership fees. However, the association charged membership fees outside of the department system; memberships ranged from $100 for a year to $900 for a lifetime and included discounts on specific services. According to The Tribune, membership fees from 2020 to 2023 totaled $169,437. Memberships have stopped being sold and honored since April.
In order for members to receive a discount, they would be charged a youth rate through the department system or be undercharged.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, which regularly used the shooting range for employee training, had entered into a contract with the association without department authorization. Payments for use, which were also completed outside of the department system, totaled $60,516.
“We definitely made some decisions at different points that we shouldn’t have, and we are very sorry about that and that it’s led to this. We just don’t want the range to permanently go away. No matter who gets awarded the contract, we want people to continue using the facility,” Soto told The Tribune.
The state department has asked the association to pay them around $386,966 due to the payment variations, which the association doesn’t believe should happen as the association did not collect these payments and the variation would be reimbursed, according to The Tribune.
Members were notified that they would be refunded their membership fees; the association will be able to form a refund plan once a new contract is in place.
While the shooting range is estimated to close for the first few months of 2025, the department will open a 45 day window for potential contractors to submit proposals. The Sportsmen’s Association does plan to apply.
-Report by Sadie Mae Mace
