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Redondo Beach council approves consultant task order for proposed shooting‑range upgrade amid community objections
Summary
The council approved an on‑call contract (not‑to‑exceed $100,000) to advance design refinements for a proposed shooting range after residents criticized spending while the city faces midyear budget pressures; staff said the specific task order is estimated at $30–35K and intended to improve federal grant eligibility.
The Redondo Beach City Council voted March 31 to approve a not‑to‑exceed on‑call contract to advance drawings and technical work for a proposed shooting‑range renovation, despite public criticism that the project is an unaffordable $19 million build and that taxpayer money should be prioritized for immediate community needs.
Resident Wayne Craig told the council the city is "searching for coins in the seat cushion" while spending on an unfunded gun‑range project and said the remaining $1.1 million in a range account should be returned to the general fund. "Stop funding this $19 million gun range project," he told the council during the consent‑calendar discussion.
City Manager Mark Wansky and other staff defended the contract as a small, targeted task order intended to strengthen the city’s chance of securing federal grant funding. "The not‑to‑exceed contract amount that's referenced in the staff report is an on‑call total of $100,000. The specific task work order that we're assigning to advance our drawings for the gun range has an estimated value of $30 to $35,000," Wansky said. He added that if the city received the federal grant, an investment of about $150,000 could yield roughly $19 million in federal contribution.
Why it mattered: Supporters argue an upgraded range would provide a needed training facility for the police department and improve recruitment and officer preparedness. Opponents said the city cannot afford construction or long‑term operating costs for a major new facility and that funds should address urgent priorities such as crossing guards or infrastructure.
What council did: After public comment and staff explanation, the council approved the contract item (H9) unanimously. Staff said the initial task order (estimated $30–35K) would refine project drawings and respond to federal grant reviewers’ comments, intended to make the city more competitive for external funding rather than to obligate the city to construct the full project from local funds.
Attributions: Quotes are drawn from the March 31 council transcript (Wayne Craig; City Manager Mark Wansky). The staff‑explainer language describing the contract and the task‑order estimate was given during the H9 discussion.
