BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com

The Department of Energy/NNSA Los Alamos Field Office announced Thursday that NNSA has reached an agreement with the Los Alamos Sportsmen’s Club (LASC) that accomplishes two important goals for the club and the Los Alamos community: Giving the club 15 years, until 2037, to operate on its current Rendija Canyon site, while clearing the way for eventual environmental assessment, remediation, and transfer of the 109-acre tract to Los Alamos County.

“I’d like to thank the LASC board for its thoughtful input into this process,” said Field Office Manager Ted Wyka. “Fortunately, we are able to lease the property to LASC for another 15 years to allow them time to relocate before the site is closed, cleaned up and transferred to Los Alamos County.”

The lease extends club operations for another 15 years. The area will then forego further environmental assessment and possible remediation prior transfer of the property to Los Alamos County in accordance with 1997 federal legislation. To date, NNSA says it has spent some $12 million preparing parts of Rendija Canyon for conveyance to Los Alamos County.

LASC President Tom Turner told Club members in an email Tuesday that DOE had reurned a fully-signed lease to him that afternoon. He thanked LASC board member Mel Smithour and Seth Kirschenberg of the Kutak Rock Law Firm for thei monumetal efforts in crafting the new lease.

“They did the heavy lifting. Mel was the Club’s signee for our past 20 years of leases,” Turner said.

He also thanked the team of Dakota Gregory, Dave Houck and Jim Rickman he had asked to help with “listening, insights, advice and strategizing”. Turner noted that it is heartening that that so many members were renewing their memberships despite the undertainty of the Club’s future.

“Thank you for your vote of confidence. See you at the range,” Turner said.