Civilian Marksmanship Program pitches $30M marksmanship park near Payson, addresses contamination and RPP hurdles

Greg Raines, chief commercial officer of the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), told the Utah Outdoor Adventure Commission that CMP wants to build a Talladega-style marksmanship park adjacent to Payson City that would include ranges out to 1,000 yards, an expanded unknown-distance range, and a larger clubhouse and visitor amenities.

Raines described CMP as a national 501(c)(3) that operates a 500-acre, $28 million facility in Talladega, Alabama, and said CMP has an endowment it described as more than $250 million. The Payson proposal is currently envisioned as a roughly $30 million facility sited on about 537 acres of BLM land; CMP said it intends to use the BLM Recreational and Public Purposes (RPP) process to acquire the site. Raines said CMP had been removed from the RPP list earlier after the BLM cited lead contamination from historic shooting, but that CMP had since met with the agency and been restored to the RPP consideration because CMP proposed a remediation plan.

On environmental concerns, Raines said CMP would perform lead mitigation to EPA standards, install ballistic-sand berms and operate an EPA-recurring mitigation schedule (he described a ten-year mitigation cycle with berm replacement and lead removal). He also said CMP uses technology (electronic targeting systems) to increase range safety and throughput. In Q&A, commissioners pressed for clarity on land ownership, the RPP status and whether Payson City would own or operate the land; Raines said the land would not be owned by the city but would be adjacent to Payson with city and county support.

Why it matters: the proposal would be one of the largest single privately operated shooting facilities in the state and raises both economic-development potential and environmental scrutiny. Commissioners repeatedly asked for documentation of BLM and RPP status, environmental assessment plans, and precise state funding needs before committing state dollars.

What CMP requested: Raines said CMP was not seeking general taxpayer construction funding but asked for assistance the commission could offer; in the presentation he mentioned a possible $2,000,000 contribution that could be applied to acquisition or building costs but emphasized CMP's internal capital capacity.

Commission response and next steps: commissioners expressed interest but hesitancy, noting land-acquisition obstacles with BLM and the need for environmental remediation plans and firm local commitments before any award. Staff and the assistant attorney general advised that any award would need careful conditions and environmental documentation; the commission did not take a funding vote on CMP's request in this meeting.