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NORTHERN VIRGINIA DAILY Guard will not be able to work by 2003 By Mary Jordan The Virginia National Guard said Monday that the likelihood of it being able to do earth-moving work for the Avtex Soccerplex by 2003 is slim, according to plans operation and military support operator Col. Jim Ainslie. Earlier this month, U.S. Soccer Foundation Executive Director Herb Giobbi said the Guard had indicated it may be able to start working on the project in 2003. However, Ainslie said Monday he could not estimate when the Guard might be able to do the work. "We would have to pull every engineer we have in the state to be able to do this, and do this effectively, which is a fairly massive undertaking," Ainslie said. "It's just not something you can do on the weekend." "We're still trying to figure it out," he added. The U.S. Soccer Foundation has been working with the Guard since September to line up workers to do the work, Giobbi has said. However, Ainslie said it is unusual for the Guard to be working through a third party for local governments. "We usually work with the local county governments and the local organizations," he said. It's unusual for a national organization to come down and work with us on this." Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority Chairman Richard Novak said the USSF has been involved since their public announcement in 1999 to help fund the project. A project of this kind, however, is a first for the foundation. "We are their pilot program," Novak said. "Part of the reason this has been a lot slower than most of us would like this to be is that we're covering new ground with the Soccer Foundation." The war on terrorism and the process of getting approval for the project are also slowing down the Guard's ability to start on the project, Ainslie said. The war is affecting the Guard's ability to do work because the group has less soldiers available. Of the 8,000 soldiers in the Virginia National Guard, 1,000 to 1,500 are currently active in missions, Ainslie said. Also, the Guard must jump its own hurdles before taking on a project such as this, he said. An environmental impact statement must be filed by the county and engineering work needs to be drawn out and designed before the Guard can start. "We need all the paperwork, and it's an administrative burden," Ainslie said. "We just can't take soldiers and do anything we want." The county has already completed the engineering work required. Painter-Lewis of Winchester has had the layout of the soccer fields designed since last summer. An environmental impact statement, however, has not been done, Novak said. The EDA, town and county officials, and local residents have repeatedly
expressed their frustration with the lack of progress on the project. Novak said they may need to consider other options to get the work done. "We're looking at all options at this point," he said. The town and county have allocated $300,000 for the project, but that is not nearly enough to even "scratch the surface," Novak has said. "While the community has committed $300,000 it's a couple-million-dollar project, and that's not in anybody's budget around here," he has said. The cost to compete the seven soccer fields is an estimated $3 million, according to EDA documents. |