February 18, 2004      FOSNA would like to thanks the Mia Hamm foundation.  http://www.miafoundation.org.  They have given FOSNA an autographed ball from Mia Hamm to help us raise money.  We will be holding a silent auction in the future with multiple things to bid on.  February 3, 2004 Merrimack Soccer Complex Planning Dates February 18 – First Planning commission meeting called location, character, and extent to review plans, ask questions, etc. February 24 – Appraisal at Planning Commission meeting and a vote to proceed with project February 16 – Advertising of pre-bid meeting by city February 24 – Pre-bid meeting with all contractors interested March 2 – Open all bids and review of pricing for building, parking lots, lighting, etc. March 16 – Notice to proceed for all chosen contractors Sept. 12 – Final walkthrough ** Planting of grass for fields hopefully to begin by May Blueprint of completed Merrimack Park Click for Larger View.   Huntsville City Council Meeting       The City of Huntsville approved $148,000 to be paid to Schneider and Associates architecture firm for completion of necessary drawings, construction guidelines, etc at the Merrimack Soccer Complex. There is a meeting this week ( January 12) to have a 60% review of the documents completed thus far so things are moving fast. Hopefully this process will be complete by end of month. While things are a little sketchy right now it looks as if there will be 5 additional soccer fields and a large building which will have a concession stand, restrooms. a meeting room upstairs, equipment storage area, and maybe even a room for referees/teams ( a total of 7000-8000 Square feet). It also looks as if we will have 2 additional restroom facilities located somewhere on the complex and even a Pavilion. Right now it looks as if 501 new parking spaces will be created. We also hope the money will go far enough to light a few fields as well. I do not have a date as to when construction will begin but will hopefully have that for everyone by mid-February latest.       This is a very exciting time for our soccer community. I wish to thank Ralph Stone with the City of Huntsville for his time and energy helping get us this far. Many thanks to Mayor Loretta Spencer as well as each and every city council member for their support. Also to each and every person ( coach, player, referee, and parent) that has helped soccer become what it is in North Alabama. This has truly been a work in progress for many years.       Now - Where do we go from here? FOSNA has much more work to do. As the organization representing all of soccer in North Alabama we will have some financial responsibility for Merrimack. While that has not been made clear by the City at this time, it will be something. It might be the maintenance, buying equipment, lighting fields, etc. We are asking for you to join our organization. It is $20 per person or $50 per family. You can find the membership form at www.nasl.com/fosna . The address to send it to is on the form. We are also a non-profit organization.       We will be talking to local companies about sponsoring fields at Merrimack. We will be looking for additional land for more practice/game fields. We will be needing help as we put all these things together. We will need more individuals to help us form committees and to create ideas. The next FOSNA meeting will be held Tuesday Feb.3 from 6:00-7:30 at the Brahan Spring rec center. Anyone wanting to listen, join, or ask questions are welcome to attend. Thanks for your support!! Johnny Childress President - FOSNA 256-990-2626 Cell 256-864-3314 Work jchildress11@comcast.net  ( Home email) Click here to read more FOSNA News in our FOSNA Archives.