Brookings Breaks Ground On Sports Center

by Ashley Kringen, Reporter
November 28, 2012 9:41 PM


Winning the power ball could make dreams come true, but in Brookings, a small group made their dreams come true the old fashioned way, with determination.

A new archery and shooting range is scheduled to be up and running by next year.

After six years and five name changes, the city of Brookings broke ground on Wednesday for the South Dakota Outdoor Adventure Center.

The idea started in Jim Adkins home, with people hungry for a designated place to shoot their bows and arrows.

"We sat around my kitchen table and we strategized as to how we might put together an archery range," said Adkins.

Meetings at the kitchen table moved to a Perkins Restaurant, then eventually moved to a conference center.

On November 13th, the City Council officially approved the final building plans and soon after, Adkins made his way to the work site, to see the progress with his own eyes.

"Sat had my lunch, watched the equipment work on the dirt and moved the trees out , that's when it became real," said Adkins.

People, who like to do archery, shoot pistols and rifles will be able to use the range, including 4-H members, such as Courtney Anderson.

"I'll be able to come here after school and go shoot. I'll be able to sit here and coach girls that I coach. It will be a lot simpler," said Anderson.

Mayor Tim Reed said a couple years back, Brookings adopted a logo for their city's way of life, called "Bring Your Dreams," and this project embodies just that.

"It just kept building and building because this group had a dream to build a top notch facility," said Reed.

For Adkins, he never thought his kitchen table talks would turn into a multi-million-dollar, 35,000-square-foot shooting sports range.

"This is really beyond my dreams," said Adkins.

A facility that represented a bulls-eye that was hit dead on.

The new center is privately funded and is set to open October of 2013.