THE NORTHERN VIRGINIA DAILY

Article date: August 30, 2000

Heavener: Soccer complex commitment needed

By Ashley May

The Warren County Board of Supervisors and the Front Royal Town Council must commit to sharing the cost of infrastructure for the proposed Ed Stump Soccer Complex before 30 acres of the Avtex Superfund site is redeveloped into a showcase for the U.S. Soccer Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency.

"This is the first site selected by the U.S. Soccer Foundation and the EPA under their recently announced initiative to redevelop and recycle Superfund sites," said Stephen Heavener, executive director of the Warren County Economic Development Partnership.

Warren County is fortunate for its proximity to the Washington area, which is one of the reasons the partnership chose the site for its flagship complex, he said.

"We are the demonstration project," he said.

Heavener told members of both the board and council that the foundation is prepared to pay most of the $3.6 million cost of the competition level soccer complex, but it expects a financial commitment from the town and county to pay for the site’s infrastructure.

"What they’re saying is, for us to step up to the plate with the $1.75 million, we need a commitment by the end of September that the local governments are willing to build the necessary infrastructure," Heavener said of the foundation.

"This window of opportunity won’t be open very long," he said.

Local costs, estimated at about $300,000, would pay for irrigation lines, a storm water management system, sidewalks and curb and gutter, and sidewalks for the complex, Heavener said.

The bankruptcy trustee also must purchase about nine acres of Ed Stump Park at $9,000 per acre, he said.

Once the infrastructure is in place, the foundation is prepared to step in and spend about $1.7 million on the remainder of the first phase of the project, Herb Biobbi of the foundation said.

That portion of phase one will prepare the site and construct several top of the line soccer fields, Heavener said. The number and type of soccer fields is still under consideration, but the foundation will pay for those costs, he said.

Phase two of the project, estimated at $1.5 million, is the building of "a full competition ready complex that includes an administration building with restrooms, full utilities, paved and landscaped parking, bleachers, lighting and playground equipment," Heavener wrote in a report to the council and county board.

That phase is not yet funded, but may be secured through corporate or supplier sponsorships, and possible soccer foundation grants, Heavener said.

Members of both the board and council have said they would like to support the project, and would try to find the funds to pay for infrastructure for the site. They said they would soon consider whether and how to commit funding for the local portion about 10 percent of the project’s cost.

The local commitment would be an investment, and will set the scene for a significant economic development project for the county, Heavener said.

"When developed, this project will be the national demonstration of how Superfund sites can be recycled into various recreational and commercial uses. If we do not act immediately to pursue this project, I think that they will find a different project to act as their showcase," Heavener says in his report.

"The reason the EDA is going to develop this project is because this is an economic development project, not just a recreational project," he said

Through competitions and site rental, "this could bring a lot of cash to the area," he said.

Phase One: Field Development

Funded by Front Royal and Warren County

Land acquisition: Nine acres at $9,000 each: $81,000

Storm water management $86,000

Irrigation distribution lines: $36,000

Curb and gutter: $30,000

Sidewalks: $15,000

Gravel parking: $30,000

Stone trails: $15,000

Total: $293,600

Funded by the U.S. Soccer Foundation:

Site clearing/grubbing: $105,000

Topsoil removal: $54,000

Return topsoil: $61,245

Site grading: $222,000

Field construction: $1,315,000

Total: $1,757,245

Phase Two: Full Competition-Ready Complex

Possible finding through grants and sponsorships:

Administration building: $750,000

Sanitary sewer (on site): $45,000

Water service (on site): $25,000

Water and sewer (off site): $100,000

Restroom building: $80,000

Paved parking lots, landscaping: $130,000

Bleachers:$100,000

Picnic area: $5,000

Site lighting: $300,000

Signage: $5,000

Total: $1,590,000

Preliminary estimates proveded by Clark Co., a New York development firm.

Phase one and two total: $3,640,845