Conroe council hears R100 archery tournament, staff outlines plan for permanent archery complex at Owen Park

City staff told the City Council on March 12 that the R100 national archery tour will use Owen Park for a multi‑day event this spring and that staff is exploring a permanent archery complex in the park’s northwest corner.

The presentation was led by Greg Wells, assistant director of programs in the Community Development Department, who said the R100 tour provides targets and event infrastructure and that the host city can receive as much as 30% of registration fees. Wells said the tour stop for Conroe is scheduled roughly one month after the March 12 workshop and identified the event dates as “the eleventh through the thirteenth.”

The council heard both a short description of the weekend tournament and a longer concept for a municipal archery facility that would accommodate three outdoor archery disciplines: target, field and 3‑D archery. The staff concept would use about 13 acres in the park’s northwest corner; the east side of that parcel would be a lighted target/competition range with a covered shooting line, and the west side would use wooded trails for field and 3‑D courses.

Why it matters: staff said Conroe’s location near Houston, Austin and Dallas could draw weekend visitors and hotel stays, and the facility would offer youth and school programming along with recurring events that the city could host. Wells described marketing features — notably an 8‑foot steel “Sasquatch” novelty target — and said the complex could be the only Texas facility combining all three outdoor disciplines with lighting for evening use.

Details and council questions: Wells and parks staff described the R100 course layout used for the weekend event — two 50‑target loops (a “North American” and a “Safari” loop), a practice range, a kid zone and specialty shoots — and said registration and concessions would operate from the pavilion. Wells said the tour expects multi‑day participants and that a successful first year typically brings 250–300 participants; he said he hoped for 400 or more.

Parks staff said the temporary tournament footprint will take most of the park for the event weekend but that the permanent complex concept would be limited to the roughly 13‑acre northwest parcel. Staff said the short‑term costs for staging the tournament so far are under $10,000 and that the Community Development Department has absorbed those expenses. On a turnkey permanent build, staff estimated a rough cost in the “about $250,000” range, with lighting the largest unknown expense.

Several council members and residents raised safety, insurance and park‑use questions. A city staff member confirmed the tour operator has submitted insurance and required documents to the city’s event coordinator; staff said the event operator provided evidence to the city but did not present the policy details during the workshop. Council members also pressed staff on staffing, lighting donations, and likely attendance volumes for the first year.

Public comments and park context: Parks staff framed the archery concept within a longer‑range plan for Owen Park that included trail development and earlier recommendations for an archery field. Resident Sandra Burke earlier urged the council to shift workshop start times to 4 p.m. to increase attendance by working parents and also asked detailed questions about the tournament’s course layout, safety, storm‑event procedures and insurance. Other residents urged that park amenities and programming be restored or expanded at Owen Park.

What’s next: staff said they are treating the tournament as a trial and will return to council with additional details if the city moves forward with a permanent facility. No formal action or budget appropriation was taken at the March 12 workshop.