Environmental statements; availability, etc.: Wilmington, DE; new Job Corps Center,

[Federal Register: November 19, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 223)]

[Notices]

[Page 63340-63342]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr19no99-93]

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

Job Corps: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the New Job Corps Center Located at 9 Vandever Avenue, Wilmington, Delaware

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the New Job Corps Center to be located at 9 Vandever Avenue, Wilmington, Delaware.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulation (40 CFR Part 1500-08) implementing procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and the Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Job Corps, in accordance with 29 CFR 11.11(d), gives notice that an Environmental Assessment (EA) has been prepared and the proposed plans for a new Job Corps Center will have no significant environmental impact. This Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) will be made available for public review and comment for a period of 30 days.

DATES: Comments must be submitted by December 20, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Any comment(s) are to be submitted to Michael O'Malley, Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N-4659, Washington, DC, 20210, (202) 219- 5468 ext 115 (this is not a toll-free number).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Copies of the EA and additional information are available to interested parties by contacting James Bodnar, Regional Director, Region III Office of Job Corps, 3535 Market Street, Room 12220, Philadelphia, PA 19104, (215) 596-6301 (this is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Environmental Assessment (EA) addresses the proposed conversion of a vacated textile manufacturing facility located at 9 Vandever Avenue, 14 blocks from the downtown area of Wilmington, Delaware, for the proposed Wilmington Job Corps Center. The U.S. Department of Labor will not be purchasing the property, but will be leasing the property from the State of Delaware for a 50-year lease term. The building is estimated to have been built in 1884, and has been vacant since 1995. The State of Delaware received title to the subject property in March 1999.

The EA identifies the subject property as an approximately 2.13- acre parcel, including a 3-story building with approximately 113,800- square feet of floor space, and a small paved area. The building covers approximately eighty (80) percent of the subject property parcel, and its walls coincide with the parcel boundaries on the east, south, and west sides. The remaining twenty (20) percent of the site is a paved area along the northern side of the building adjacent to 22nd Street. Next to the subject property are two (2) parking lots owned by the State of Delaware and one (1) commercial parking lot. The proposed Job Corps Center project will include demolition of the existing structure, and construction of a single, two story building which will contain six (6) functions: administration, academic education, vocational education, a cafeteria, culinary arts training, and a maintenance/ storage support area . The proposal is for an initial program enrollment of 150 non-resident students.

The construction of the Job Corps Center on this abandoned, developed site would be a positive asset to the area in terms of environmental and

[[Page 63341]]

socioeconomic improvements, and long-term productivity. The proposed Job Corps Center will be a new source of employment opportunity for people in the Wilmington, Delaware area. The Job Corps program provides basic education, vocational skills training, work experience, counseling, health care and related support services. This program is designed to graduate students who are ready to participate in the local economy.

The proposed project will not have any significant adverse impact on any natural systems or resources. The existing structure is of minimal historic interest, and is not currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Job Corps, through a future Memorandum of Agreement with the Delaware Historic Preservation Office, proposes to preserve the historic smokestack as a landmark to the neighborhood. All new construction for this project will comply with applicable historic preservation guidelines and incorporate known architectural historical features of the surrounding neighborhood. There are no known areas of archaeological significance on or near the property, and no state or federal threatened or endangered species (proposed or listed) have been located on the subject property.

The subject property is located at the northwest fringe of the Central Business District (CBD) of the City of Wilmington. Air quality and noise levels should not be affected by the proposed development project, except possibly during construction and renovation. All construction and renovation activities will be conducted in accordance with applicable noise and air pollution regulations, and all pollution sources will be permitted in accordance with applicable pollution control requirements. The proposed Job Corps Center will not significantly increase vehicle traffic in the vicinity.

The proposed project will not have any significant adverse impact on the surrounding water, sewer, and storm water utilities infrastructure. The City of Wilmington Department of Public Works provides water service to the subject property. The water distribution system at the site is in good condition, with approximately fifty (50) pounds of pressure. The existing water lines should be adequate to meet the needs of the proposed Job Corps Center. All wastewater from the existing facility is discharged to a sewer system operated by the City of Wilmington Sewer Authority. The existing sanitary sewer system is in good condition, and should be adequate to meet the needs of the proposed Job Corps Center. Storm water runoff from parking lots, sidewalks, and other structures on the new Job Corps Center will be managed during construction and operation of the proposed project in accordance with the requirements of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Division of Soil & Water Conservation. Storm water runoff from the site is not anticipated to adversely impact area surface water quality.

Solid waste disposal in Delaware is regulated by the DNREC, Division of Air & Waste Management, Solid Waste Management Branch. There are currently three (3) sanitary landfills and seven (7) industrial landfills in Delaware, which will provide sufficient waste disposal capacity for the proposed project. Solid waste generated during construction and operation of the Job Corps Center will be removed by a private transporter for disposal at an approved landfill facility.

Connectiv Power Delivery (formerly Delmarva Power and Light Company) provides electrical service to the subject project. Connectiv Power Delivery is one of two corporations that supply natural gas in the New Castle County. Both of these utilities have distribution lines in the vicinity, which have sufficient capacity to handle the service demand created by the Job Corps Center. The demand for utility services is not expected to have a significant adverse affect on the environment.

Several major highways connect the Greater Wilmington area with nearby metropolitan cities. Amtrak provides daily passenger rail service, with connections in Wilmington, to points along the Northeast corridor. Bus transportation is provided by the Delaware Administration for Regional Transit (DART). DART provides twenty-six (26) separate routes servicing all parts of the City of Wilmington and most areas of northern New Castle County. Many of the routes link the suburbs with the CBD, and provide peak rush hour service especially beneficial to suburbanites who work in the City. A second transit authority, the Delaware Authority for Specialized Transit (DAST) provides a fleet of buses serving the transportation needs of the handicapped statewide. No significant adverse affects are expected for the transportation system for the City of Wilmington.

No significant adverse affects should be expected by the local medical, emergency, fire and police facilities. There are several primary providers of medical services in the City of Wilmington. The primary medical provider located closest to the subject property is the Medical Center of Delaware, located approximately fifteen (15) blocks from the facility. There are also private medical facilities located in the CBD.

Security services at the Job Corps will be provided by the center's staff, with two (2) personnel on the day shift, three (3) on the evening shift, and two (2) on the night shift. There is a City of Wilmington Police Station approximately fifteen (15) blocks from the subject property. The closest fire station to the project site is the Wilmington Fire Department, Station #4 located within one (1) block of the facility. The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is a component of the Emergency Services Branch of the New Castle County Police Department. The agency provides paramedic services to the entire 437 square miles of the County, including the City of Wilmington. The EMS is a full time department providing 24-hour service. All emergency services in Wilmington are adequate for the proposed project.

The proposed project will not have a significant adverse sociological affect on the City of Wilmington. Similarly, the proposed project will not have a significant adverse affect on demographics and socioeconomic characteristics of the area. This area offers numerous educational and recreational opportunities for the proposed student population.

The alternatives considered in the preparation of this FONSI were as follows: (1) No Action; (2) Construction at an Alternate Site; and (3) Continue Construction as Proposed. The ``No Action'' alternative was not selected because the U.S. Department of Labor would not meet their goal of establishing new Job Corps Centers in under-served regions of the United States. The ``Construction at an Alternate Site'' alternative was not selected because the Wilmington site was the only proposed facility in the State of Delaware, and no alternative sites are available for construction within the State of Delaware.

Due to the suitability of the proposed site for establishment of a new Job Corps Center, and the absence of any identified significant adverse environmental impacts from locating a Job Corps Center on the subject property, the ``Continue Construction as Proposed'' alternative was selected.

Based on the information gathered during the preparation of the EA, no environmental liabilities, current or historical, were found to exist on the proposed Job Corps Center site. The construction of the Job Corps Center at the existing building located at 9

[[Page 63342]]

Vandever Avenue in Wilmington, Delaware will not create any significant adverse impacts on the environment.

Dated at Washington, DC, this 15th day of November, 1999. Mary Silva, National Director of Job Corps.

[FR Doc. 99-30243Filed11-18-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510-30-P