The Nishu Bowmen will be able to complete an indoor archery range with some help from the Bismarck park district.

The park board approved entering into an agreement with the archery club to complete the 90-foot-by-150-foot facility to be built at Fox Island near the walking path and horse park. The park district will provide $150,000 for construction, which will be paid back through a lease agreement with the club at a rate of $3,057 a month over the next 15 years.

Steve Arnold and Paul Diehl represented the archery club at last week's park board meeting. Arnold said the organization will remain responsible for utilities, insurance, maintenance and operation of the facility, which will become the park district's property.

The archery club has raised $117,000 for the building, which will have a cost of $274,000. Diehl said the club was confident it could afford the lease payments, noting that it now raises a net of between $15,000 to $19,000 annually. Expenses include renting an area in the Memorial Building for an indoor archery range.

Because the space in the Memorial Building is minimal, indoor target leagues are limited to 20 people, though many more want to participate. Diehl said that without the cost of renting the Memorial Building space and the ability to increase memberships and indoor events, the club should easily be able to handle the lease as well as other costs of operating the facility.

"We're going from a club to a real business. We've been struggled with the idea if we are ready to do this,"Diehl said. "It's always scary when you take on something like this, but I think we've arrived at the point where we're ready to do this. Nothing is easy."

Arnold said the club has 172 members, 20 of whom are youths. The club holds one indoor shoot a year, and at its last event, it attracted about 210 participants. With a new indoor facility, more competitions will be held, which will help increase revenues.

The club will also take over the park district's archery instruction, providing youth and adult lessons.

Diehl said the facility will likely be the best in the state, and its restroom facilities will be available for those using the horse park and walking trail.

"We have a lot of archers in this area that don't shoot in the winter, but with this facility, they will be able to do this, and this will help us raise our revenues," Diehl said.

Board member John Sagsveen called the facility a "wonderful project" and made a motion to allow the agreement to be signed by the board president once the financial details have been worked out to the satisfaction of the district. Sagsveen pointed out that the archery club is making a significant buy-in.

The board unanimously approved the motion, and Neu said construction will take place over the summer, with plans to open the indoor archery range in the fall.

(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 250-8255 or gordon.weixel@;bismarcktribune.com.)