The college is planning to build eight new cottages for visitors of the Halter Shooting Sports Center.

“We think of it as definitely mission-oriented,” Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé said. “Everybody that’s coming to the range, we’re certainly trying to expose them to the ideas of freedom and intelligent patriotism.”

The school has almost finished the first cottage, Péwé said, and it will be completed by May 1. Officials have secured funding for three more in the immediate future, and are planning four more. 

The first cottage will feature a common living room, surrounded by four bedrooms, according to Péwé. Each bedroom will have its own closet and bathroom, and a door opening onto an outdoor covered patio. 

According to Barbie Keiser, the center’s manager of guest and event services, the college has begun excavations for the rest of the cottages, which will form a crescent behind the lodge.

“We have a lot of visitors that come to campus, and we only have 36 hotel beds,” Péwé said. “Primarily it will be tied in with the Halter Center’s schedule, to support the events that are taking place at Halter throughout the year. There’ll be a lot of programming that will ultimately be possible when we have housing out there.”

Kaiser said the project will offer 32 beds at the shooting center, nearly matching the capacity of the Dow Hotel and Conference Center. She said the center will host CCA guests and members of the USA Shooting Olympic team.

“We have a large demand,” she said.

Péwé said the housing will allow the college to host more events at the center, potentially including concealed carry classes, Constitution courses, and global shooting competitions.

“I actually have a bid in for a grand prix next year, and a world cup,” Péwé said. “That would allow us to host international folks and sell beds for those competitions, as well.”

The first cottage cost the college around $685,000, Péwé said. Construction cost $635,000, and furnishings cost $50,000, but the shooting center’s next cottages may bring different costs.

One trustee funded the cottage that is almost complete, and according to Péwé, three more trustees are funding the next three buildings. The college is currently taking bids from construction companies to work on this next phase of the project.

Head Shotgun Coach Jordan Hintz said he is unsure how the housing will immediately affect the team but is optimistic about its long-term benefits.

“Having extra housing available, especially on-site, should be massive for events at Halter. More and bigger events means better opportunities for prospectives to come visit,” Hintz said. “Hosting events of a higher caliber shows our commitment to the sport.”