SPARTA - Randy Mitchell slid his lunch, a taco salad in a Styrofoam container, onto his cluttered desk.

He pushed his rolling chair away from the desk, slouched in the chair and exhaled deeply. Mitchell looked tired.

He's entitled.

"I usually start about 5:30 a.m.," Mitchell said. "I'm here until 8 or 9 p.m."

Mitchell is the Illinois Department of Natural Resources engineer who oversaw the construction of the World Shooting and Recreational Complex.

He's also the guy who has his fingers on the pulse of the complex throughout the Grand American.

The Grand American is the largest trapshooting event in the country.

Approximately 70,000 to 100,000 people will use the facility by the time the event closes Aug. 18.

"My role right now is more or less to deal with problems that might occur in the new facility," he said. "I don't think I'll be back out here for another Grand, except as a tourist."

Although there have been no major problems, Mitchell's days have been busy.

"This is the best day I've had in about three months," he said Friday afternoon. "There have been just a few minor glitches, nothing you wouldn't expect from a facility of this size."

And, there would be plenty of things that could go wrong. Miles and miles of electrical cable feed the 120 trap fields and campgrounds. Water is supplied to 1,000 campsites, restaurants, bathrooms and shower houses throughout the facility's 1,500 acres.

"We're fine," Mitchell said. "As part of the project, we put in the water tower to meet peak demand. We haven't had a lot of issues with the water."

Although things have been running smoothly through the first half of the event, Mitchell was measured in his words.

"I don't want to jinx us," he said. "It's been very good early in the event. I think people showed up a little earlier than we expected. I think we learned from that."

The Amateur Trapshooting Association, The Grand American's sponsoring organization, held the U.S. Open at the WSRC in July. That was a trial run for The Grand. Improvements have been made at the facility since then.

At the U.S. Open, golf carts, used by shooters to reach trap fields more than a mile from the events center, had to share the roads with cars driving back and forth, creating a serious safety concern.

After the U.S. Open was completed, a 1,300-foot asphalt path was built to keep golf carts off the road system.

"The Illinois Department of Transportation and E.T. Simonds jumped in and got it done in the nick of time," Mitchell said. "It will make it that much safer."

So far, the reviews for the facility have been excellent.

"Everyone seems to be really pleased," said Rep. Dan Reitz of Steeleville, who was instrumental in getting the facility built. "Everything seems to be working well. We've met with the ATA every day. Other than the way we're routing traffic, they have no complaints."

To enter the facility, vehicles are being diverted past the main entrance to the rear entrance - about three miles away.

"Next year we won't have to route them around," Reitz said. "We'll have some other entrance."

les.winkeler@thesouthern.com

(618) 529-5454 ext. 5088