The Arizona Game and Fish Department has taken another step in the process of moving the Ben Avery Shooting Facility to the "next level" of recreational shooting.

The department is simultaneously working on several different operating options for the facility, in advance of the expiration of a contract it has with the vendor now operating the clay target center, which is part of the facility. The department is:

1. Gathering information to assess the feasibility of having department staff operate the clay target center. The current contract expires in September 2006.
   
   
2. Working with the city of Phoenix to draft an intergovernmental agreement that would allow the city to operate the center. 
   
   
3. Issuing a Request for Proposals inviting business groups to submit proposals to either manage and operate the entire Ben Avery Shooting Facility, or to manage only the clay target center.

The latest milestone is the posting of the Request for Proposals on Dec. 6. This posting is being publicized throughout Arizona and the nation. Prospective vendors will have until 3 p.m. MST on March 3, 2006, to submit their bids.

In the Request for Proposals, the Game and Fish Department seeks a partner to help run one of the nation's top shooting facilities in one of the country's fastest-growing markets.

"This is a unique business opportunity for an individual or for a business group," says Marty Macurak, the Arizona Game and Fish Department's assistant director for information and education. "We're excited to see what kinds of creative proposals we'll get. We're looking for a partner that wants to be involved in taking the Ben Avery Shooting Facility to the next level in recreational opportunities and in service."

Prospective bidders can choose to write a proposal to manage the entire facility--the main range combined with the clay target center--or manage only the clay target center. The Request for Proposals can be downloaded from the department Web site at azgfd.gov/basf_rfp or can be obtained in hard copy by calling (623) 236-7457.

Located on 1,650 acres in north Phoenix, the Ben Avery Shooting Facility is the largest government-operated recreational shooting complex in the world. It averages more than 120,000 shooters per year and is home to a number of regional- and national-class competitions.

The department hopes to attract a large number of qualified respondents.

"Arizona is the second-fastest growing state in the country," says Macurak, "and we think there are likely to be a number of business groups that would be interested in managing a facility in one of the nation's top tourist destinations. Our goal is to find the best-qualified respondents, and to find a proposal and a plan that's going to take Ben Avery to the highest possible level of customer service."

According to figures from American Sports Data, Inc., there are more than 14 million active rifle target shooters and nearly 12 million handgun target shooters nationally. In the shotgun sports, more than 4 million participate in trap and skeet shooting, and 3.2 million shoot sporting clays. Average household income of recreational target shooters is between $60,000 and $72,000. The average age is between 32 and 39 years old, depending on the sport.

According to another study by the National Sporting Goods Association, participation in Arizona in shotgun target-shooting increased from 105,000 shooters in 1997 to 249,000 in 2004, a jump of 137 percent. It is estimated that women make up about 15 percent of Arizona participants, and that percentage is increasing.

The Ben Avery Shooting Facility offers a wide variety of shooting opportunities:

• A public main range with 53 covered firing points (30 lighted for evening use), concession area, training room and restrooms.
  
  
• Numerous competitive rifle and pistol ranges, including a 100-point small-bore range, high-power range with firing lines out to 1,000 yards, rifle silhouette range, bench rest range, two running boar moving target ranges, 2700 bull's-eye pistol range, international pistol range, practical pistol range and an indoor air gun range.
  
  
• An archery range area nestled by a mountain amid palo verde trees that includes an International Archery Federation range, broadhead/crossbow flight range and several mountain-side field courses.

The clay target center has 19 fields: five for trap only, 10 for trap and skeet, and four others that include block skeet fields. One is set up for five stand. Seven fields are lighted for night shooting. The center includes a clubhouse, pro shop and restrooms.

Macurak advises prospective bidders that they will be expected to invest in range development.

"The Ben Avery facility has an outstanding national reputation, but in some areas it's definitely a diamond in the rough," she says. "There is a lot of potential for enhancing the range, and the successful bidder will be asked to plan and implement improvements to realize the full potential of the site and to provide maximum accessibility, affordability and recreational opportunity to the many Arizona shooters who use Ben Avery."

The department's timeline estimates a two-month period to evaluate offers following the March 3 deadline. The department is expected to make a recommendation on a vendor to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission at the commission's May or June 2006 meeting. The commission will then have the option to proceed to contract negotiations or find that no offers are acceptable. The timeline to award a contract is on or before July 30.