Article date: May 26, 2001

Project is slated to commence in late summer or early fall

By Mary Jordan

Soccer fans should soon be getting their kicks at the former Avtex Fibers site. On Friday, the Front Royal- Warren County Economic Development Authority approved designs for the Avtex soccer complex and eco-business park.

Work on the project is estimated to begin in late summer or early fall, according to EDA Executive Director Stephen Heavener.

Now that the EDA has approved the plans, it is up to the U.S. Soccer Foundation to actually build the soccer fields, Heavener said.

"The ball is now being passed to the Soccer Foundation for them to perform on their commitment to the community," Heavener said. "We are wrapping up on all the design work."

John C. Lewis, of Painter-Lewis Consulting Engineers in Winchester, presented the designs.

The soccer complex will consist of seven soccer fields and a walking trail around the perimeter of the complex. A facilities building for locker rooms and a concession stand also will be constructed.

• The EDA awarded a bid on roofing for the former Avtex administration building to Manassas-based Simpson Unlimited, which gave the lowest base bid of $115,820. Other bids ranged from $116,777 to $124,348.
• Panel members directed project architect Dan deBettencourt, of dBF associates in McLean, to prepare new window specifications for the administration building, hoping to reduce the cost, while meeting the renovation standards set forth by the Office of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Rehabilitation. The decision came about after the EDA receive only one bid to replace the windows— from KC Co. of Beltsville, Md. — and rejected it. The bid was priced at $221,882. Heavener said that the EDA would like to see other companies present competitive bid prices before the authority commits to a contractor. Also, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) requires that the windows adhere to the historical standards of the building.
• The "Skyline Demolition Project", slated to take place early next month, will be slightly delayed while the EDA "performs the historic preservation compliance," Heavener said.

Last month, the EDA awarded the bid to Envirocon Inc. of Aston, Pa., for the demolition of storage tanks, the elevated water tank, a coal storage shed and power plant smokestacks.

The elimination of these structures will be "a major change in the skyline of Avtex since 1940," Heavener has said, and will allow Warren County residents to "visualize the first real fundamental successes of the redevelopment project."

However, the DHR has told the EDA that it is worried about the significance of the structures. The final determination on the components of the demolition area currently being negotiated with the DHR, Heavener said. The DHR has the final authority on whether structures remain or are demolished, based on the federal historic preservation statutes, Heavener said.