Val Verde County ratifies $2.3 million federal award for target-range construction, notes shortfall against contract

Val Verde County Commissioners on Jan. 4 ratified acceptance of a $2,316,420 federal award to construct the Robert E. County Target Range Facility.

Why it matters: The grant restores a large portion of previously identified funding for a county shooting range project and allows the county to pursue finishing interior work that had been planned as a later phase. County staff said the project contract is approximately $3,028,000; with the grant and previous borrowing the county expects to be able to complete the facility though some interior work will be rebid to control costs.

What happened: County staff and the judge explained that the new federal award is entirely new funding, not a reallocation of earlier dollars. Commissioners voted 5‑0 to ratify acceptance of the award. The judge and staff said the county previously borrowed funds for related projects and still had roughly $761,256 in net available funds after accounting for earlier allocations and new grant money.

What’s next: The court instructed staff to proceed with procurement steps; an item later on the agenda was scheduled to reopen bids or solicit pricing for interior partitions and finishes to determine whether contractors could complete the inside within budget.

Quote: Judge Valdez: “Good news is that we did receive $2,316,420… Bad news is the contract was $3,028,000 to build it.”

Provenance: Item 14 discussion and vote to ratify acceptance of the federal award.