Ground Improvements @ Brimmo ?

[DerekR]

Quote:

Mr Happy said:
I thought the funding was coming from the FA so what's the point in ETFC forking ou the cash. Anyway, much of the ground improvemnets belong to Brimsdown and not ETFC.

Can I take this opportunity to correct a few misconceptions about the ground update process?

The funding is coming from the Football Foundation. They don't just look at the requests for funding and hand out buckets of cash to the succesful applicants. There has to be a (long and tedious) tendering process, with at least three suppliers quoting for each piece of work. All this is submitted to the foundation, and eventually, they approve certain expenditure, and agree to pay the suppliers bills directly, up to the agreed amounts.
Our request for funding was made jointly with Brimsdown. The vast majority of the work performed to date has been to bring the ground up to the required levels for Brimsdown and ETFC to continue to play in their respective leagues. There has not been any allocation of funds to bring the ground up to the old 'Ryman B' level which we will need if we hope to make progress. This additional work mainly concerns the amount of covered terracing and seating that the Ryman grading requires.
Meanwhile, there has been the complete shambles of the attemted reorganisation of the non-league game going on in parallel. One aspect of this is a proposed review of the ground grading requirements. The FA were supposed to have published these revised grading requirements before the start of this current season (ie 16/Aug.) This has not happened (so far). We are waiting for this information to be made public so that we can estimate its impact on the Goldsdown Road developments. This is why we have not done anything recently concerning the installation of terracing and seating. The club have decided that it will finance the required upgrades itself as it makes good commercial sense to get the work performed as a single 'package'. We don't think there is too much to be concerned about as these additional facilities are not really needed until the ground grading review becomes imminent.

Regarding the relocation of the 'old' covered accomodation at Brimsdown, this is a task allocated to BSSC. We are totally dependent upon them to complete this work.

[Mr Happy]

Thanks Derek. Please accept and pass on my thanks to all those who give their time to run our club.

[The Invisible Man]

Yes, thanks Derek for clearing up a few points. Rather than misconception, however, there has been a bit of misinformation, presumably not intentional I hasten to add. We were all told that the tendering process had been competed by the club before the application went in, and that the FA had approved funding for fencing, terracing, seating and stands. There was then a deathly hush until Southport starting probing.

 

What's happening about the new changing room and toilet block? And the turnstiles?

 

So can anyone say what is going to be done and when???? We just want to know, that's all!

[Southport - TOWNER]

Yeah, thanks Derek for shedding some light.

 

I am not trying to cause trouble;(unusually) but like most folks on here i want to see ETFC acheive the best in everything, on and off the field.

Any possibility of the project plan being made available to memebers ?

 

 

[DerekR]

Glad that my efforts to try to explain the situation have been appreciated.

I have only seen hard-copy of the project plan. Its author, Frank, is out of the country on a business trip (NO, I don't really believe he is the originator of those 'Open your wallets and lend me a million quid' type messages from Nigeria), so I guess we will have to wait for his return to set up something with Neil so that the information can be attached to the ETFC web page.

[Southport - TOWNER]

Quote:

DerekR said:

Can I take this opportunity to correct a few misconceptions about the ground update process?

The funding is coming from the Football Foundation. They don't just look at the requests for funding and hand out buckets of cash to the succesful applicants. There has to be a (long and tedious) tendering process, with at least three suppliers quoting for each piece of work. All this is submitted to the foundation, and eventually, they approve certain expenditure, and agree to pay the suppliers bills directly, up to the agreed amounts.
Our request for funding was made jointly with Brimsdown. The vast majority of the work performed to date has been to bring the ground up to the required levels for Brimsdown and ETFC to continue to play in their respective leagues. There has not been any allocation of funds to bring the ground up to the old 'Ryman B' level which we will need if we hope to make progress. This additional work mainly concerns the amount of covered terracing and seating that the Ryman grading requires.
Meanwhile, there has been the complete shambles of the attemted reorganisation of the non-league game going on in parallel. One aspect of this is a proposed review of the ground grading requirements. The FA were supposed to have published these revised grading requirements before the start of this current season (ie 16/Aug.) This has not happened (so far). We are waiting for this information to be made public so that we can estimate its impact on the Goldsdown Road developments. This is why we have not done anything recently concerning the installation of terracing and seating. The club have decided that it will finance the required upgrades itself as it makes good commercial sense to get the work performed as a single 'package'. We don't think there is too much to be concerned about as these additional facilities are not really needed until the ground grading review becomes imminent.

Regarding the relocation of the 'old' covered accomodation at Brimsdown, this is a task allocated to BSSC. We are totally dependent upon them to complete this work.

Any chance of getting this type of info into the next couple of match day programs, so we can inform a larger audience what is occuring and why.

Also those at the TOWN SHOW should be briefed properly on how to respond to questions; not just give their own point of view

[Normans Wisdom]

There is a lot to do at the Brimobau before the 1st April 2004 so you will not be surprised to hear that the position of wait and see could and would not be retained indefinitely. It takes 6 weeks from placing orders to taking delivery. Transporters delivering stands need to come onto the pitch before the monsoon season in order to set them down. We hope to place the orders in the next few days. We have to cut our cloth according to what we can afford and within the rule of the Football Foundation awards. Not all the money comes from the Foundation and we have to ensure that the operational cashflow is not affected. We cannot do all we want to at this stage because of matters previously discussed on this and other fora at length.

 

If you know an individual or company with good links to the Borough of Enfield who has some money (and is acceptable to Town fans) to sponsor a stand then let the board know or come and present a cheque at the TOWN SHOW. We will have stands the seated area might just be bigger if we have a sponsor.

 

Work on the modifications of the concrete raft for the old stand is set for Monday. Efforts are being made to try to get this stand moved into place for the Carshalton Athletic game, but we are totally in the hands of Mr Tony Ashall and his current business workload.

 

I understand that the ace wheeler dealer Les Gold has obtained a shop for the Supporters Club. Dave Hicks won't know himself soon!

[Southport - TOWNER]

sounding good

[Mr Happy]

Thanks for the info and all your efforts

[Southport - TOWNER]

Quote:

Normans Wisdom said:
.....
I understand that the ace wheeler dealer Les Gold has obtained a shop for the Supporters Club. Dave Hicks won't know himself soon!

Any chance of getting our own portacabin with a fridge for beers ?

[Normans Wisdom]

Good to see the pitch-side fencing moving on as well.

 

Stand base for Old stand down and rock hard now all we need is that stand moving forward before Saturday! hmm!

[Tom S]

Quote:

Normans Wisdom said:
Stand base for Old stand down and rock hard now all we need is that stand moving forward before Saturday! hmm!

Or, at least, the gap in the boundary wall temporarily filled in.