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Commission approves presentation of updated parks fees; shooting-range users ask for more time and improvements
Summary
Commissioners approved presenting a revised fee schedule for county parks and the shooting range; during extended public comment, shooting-range users asked for more notice, specific facility improvements and discussed options for expansion and partnerships.
The Iron County Commission approved a proposal to present updated fee schedules for county parks, including differentiated pavilion rates, a restructuring of shooting-range bay rentals and a special-event permit requirement for larger groups.
Parks director Maria Twitchell and Bryce Williams presented modest, mostly $5 increases for many picnic and pavilion rentals and proposed new classifications for group sites and the historic pavilion. For the county shooting range they proposed splitting the group bay area into smaller rentable units (three-bay sections) with adjusted fees and a new special-event permit for events over specified attendance thresholds.
During public comment, Pat Brower (owner of Iron Mountain Training Group) and other range users said they were not given sufficient advance notice to respond, asked that any fee increases be reinvested in identified range improvements (drainage, additional bays, storage and scheduling infrastructure), and outlined plans to form a nonprofit to help raise funds and manage events. Users described the economic potential of larger matches that could draw hundreds of competitors and visitors to the area, while parks staff described physical constraints at the existing site (drainage, ricochet concerns on south-facing bays, proximity to BLM and solar farms) and recommended a follow-up agenda item to study expansion options and funding.
The commission approved the motion to present the revised fee schedule to the public and to proceed with the special-event permitting framework; commissioners and staff told the shooting community they welcome additional engagement, recommended formalizing a list of prioritized improvements that fees would support, and suggested a future agenda item to explore potential land-access or partnership solutions for range expansion.
