STATESBORO — Georgia Southern University has started work to build a state-of-the-art $7 million shooting sports education center on campus.
Ground was broken Thursday morning for the 25,000-square-foot facility that will be open to students and the public. It will include public indoor archery and firing ranges and an outdoor archery range.
“This is the epitome of a public, private and government partnership,” said university president Brooks A. Keel. “It’s a relationship where we have all come together to make something unique happen. The center will allow Georgia Southern to promote shooting safety, hunter safety and shooting education.”
The Shooting Sports Education Center, the only one of its kind east of the Mississippi River, is a partnership between Georgia Southern and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. It will be funded by a $3.5 million grant from DNR along with private donations and support from the Easton Foundation and the city of Statesboro.
Ajax Construction will build the facility over the next 12 to 18 months at the corner of Old Register Road and Veterans Memorial Parkway.
“We want to thank Georgia Southern for grabbing on to this concept that we came up with and recognizing the value-added components of what a world class shooting facility would add for the students and people in the surrounding community,” said Mark Whitney, assistant director of the Wildlife Resources Division with the DNR.
Teresa Thompson, vice president of student affairs and enrollment management, described the project as the beginning of an exciting adventure.
“Every once and a while, a project comes along that has exciting opportunities for the future,” Thompson said. “This shooting center can be a catalyst for developing students who will one day represent our nation as Olympic shooting sports champions.”
