Article date: December 6, 2001

But Federation is still committed

By: Jay North

Warren County will get a new soccer complex, but it may take a few years.

That’s what Stephen Heavener, Executive Director for the Economic Development Authority, told the Warren County Board of Supervisors at its Tuesday meeting.

Heavener, along with County Administrator Doug Stanley and members of the Environmental Protection Agency, met with the US Soccer Foundation last week to discuss the progress toward building the Skyline Soccerplex.

Due to a shortfall in funds, the foundation is recruiting the help of the National Guard to help begin plans by turning the project into one of the Guard’s community service projects.

This would be the second military-based agency to take part in the clean up and development of the Avtex Superfund Site, along with the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Heavener said the foundation reaffirmed its commitment to making this project a reality.

"They made it clear to us that it’s a long term project and they’re in it for the long haul." said Heavener.

Sonny Fultz of Pearson’s Appraisal Service, the company conducting the reassessment, updated the Board that the task is at 38 percent completion. Supervisor Brackenridge Bentley expressed concern as to whether the appraisal numbers are going up or down.

Fultz said the numbers show signs of an increase of 15 to 20 percent due to Warren County’s growth spurt during the year 2000.

Assistant County Administrator Richard Magnifico informed the Board about the results from the recent Household Hazardous Waste collection day. Magnifico said some items collected were as much as 13 years old and ranged from cleaners to paints and other various chemicals.

A total of 71 55-gallon drums, and one 5- gallon drum, were filled by the end of the day.

Magnifico then explained that an effort to clean-up trash from secondary roads had been discontinued. He said 20,000 pounds of roadside waste has been collected of the past 18 months, with the most discouraging efforts taking place along Route 619, which had to be re-cleaned six times to no avail.

"It’s deplorable. But until people start caring about their environment, there’s nothing we can do," said Supervisor John Vance.

In other news, paving and design work has reached completion in the parking lots of the Warren County Courthouse and Government Center. At the government center, white, blue and yellow lines have been painted signifying parking spaces for visitors, county employees, and school employees respectively.