[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 208 (Friday, October 28, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page ]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-26692]


[Federal Register: October 28, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy


Record of Decision for Realignment of Naval Training Center Great 
Lakes, Illinois

    Pursuant to section 102(2) of the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) of 1969 and the Council on Environmental Quality regulations for 
implementing NEPA procedures (40 CFR 1500-1508), the Department of the 
Navy announces its decision to implement realignment of Naval Training 
Center (NTC) Great Lakes, Illinois.
    In accordance with the legislative requirements of the Base Closure 
and Realignment Act of 1990 (Public Law [P.L.] 101-510), the 1993 
Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC-93) recommended 
the closure of NTC Orlando, Florida and NTC San Diego, California. The 
majority of naval training at these bases will be relocated to NTC 
Great Lakes, Illinois. In addition, Naval Technical Training Center 
(NTTC) Treasure Island, and Combat Systems Technical Schools Command 
(CSTC) Mare Island, California, will be closed pursuant to the 
recommendations of BRAC-93, with some of the training at these commands 
relocated to NTC Great Lakes. Also associated with this section is 
relocation of the Navy Recruiting Command (COMNAVCRUITCOM) from 
Washington, DC.
    A Draft Environmental Impact Statement was prepared for the action 
and distributed to Federal, State, and local agencies and to interested 
individuals and groups. Public comments and Navy responses to those 
comments were incorporated into the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (FEIS) which was distributed to the public for a review 
period that ended on October 15, 1994. This review resulted in a single 
letter from the Office of the Governor, Illinois State Clearinghouse, 
stating that the action is not in conflict with State plans, policies, 
and priorities.
    The realignment will increase the number of average on-board 
service school students by approximately 2,088 between 1993 and 1998. 
The number of permanent-party naval personnel necessary to support 
service and apprentice school training will increase by approximately 
243 over the same period. Twenty-four construction projects are 
required to accommodate the realignment at NTC Great Lakes. The 
projects include upgrades of existing facilities and new construction 
to support new functions and increased number of students and 
permanent-party personnel. All associated construction and renovation 
projects addressed in the FEIS will occur at NTC Great Lakes, with the 
exception of a family housing project. This project will construct 240 
family housing units at the Navy-owned Glenview Annex. Another BRAC-93 
decision directed closure of Naval Air Station (NAS) Glenview and 
allowed for portions of NAS Glenview to be retained by Navy for the 
family housing requirements of NTC Great Lakes.
    The Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act waived certain aspects 
of NEPA such that the environmental analysis need not consider the no-
action alternative (no realignment). Alternative means of accommodating 
the mandated BRAC-93 realignment at NTC Great Lakes that were 
considered and included the use of existing structures and alternative 
sites for construction of new facilities. Sites considered at NTC Great 
Lakes for the new facilities/renovations avoided environmentally 
sensitive areas, then were selected based on the following functional 
considerations: adequacy of existing structures for the proposed uses, 
availability of utilities, and proximity of the barracks to existing 
and related facilities, such as classrooms and the galley. Glenview 
Annex is selected as the most environmentally preferred and 
functionally desirable alternative considered for the family housing 
project.
    Construction of the new facilities will convert less than four 
acres of lawn area to impervious buildings and pavement surfaces. There 
will be no significant impacts to surface water or wetlands. With 
erosion mitigation and through sedimentation control described in the 
FEIS in place, any potential for localized decreases in the quality of 
stormwater runoff during construction will be minimal and temporary. 
There will be no significant impacts to groundwater or potable water 
resources as a result of the realignment.
    The action will cause no significant impact to ambient noise levels 
or air quality. Localized, temporary impacts will occur during 
construction and demolition activities. Compliance with State (Title 
35, Section 228) and Federal regulations, including National Emission 
Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPS), will be achieved 
during removal of asbestos-containing materials. NTC Great Lakes is 
located in a non-attainment area for ozone. An applicability analysis 
was performed for air pollutant emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOX) 
and volatile organic material (VOM) in compliance with the Clean Air 
Act Amendments of 1990 and 1993 final rule for determining conformity 
of federal actions to State or Federal Implementation Plans (40 CFR 
Parts 6, 51, and 93). The analysis included construction-related 
emissions, mobile-source emissions, and stationary-source emissions 
associated with the realignment. Neither NOX nor VOM emissions 
estimates for any year of the action exceeded the de minimis levels of 
25 tons per year. Therefore, the action is presumed to conform to the 
State Implementation Plan (SIP) and is exempted from any further 
requirements of the General Conformity Rule.
    The action at NTC Great Lakes will not impact any Department of 
Defense Installation Restoration Program (IRP) sites. The action will 
not violate any conditions of the NTC Great Lakes Waste Management Plan 
or the Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures Plan.
    A Remedial Investigation is currently underway at Glenview Annex to 
determine the extent of contamination at an IRP site (former fire 
fighting training area) where it intersects the eastern portion of the 
family housing site. Also, based on a review of historic aerial 
photographs as part of the BRAC cleanup plan for the closure of NAS 
Glenview, the previous existence of three ordnance magazines and a 
trap/skeet range may exist on a portion of the new family housing area. 
Contaminated soils that exceed regulatory levels will be remediated 
prior to construction in accordance with applicable federal and state 
requirements.
    The increase in population from the action will be small in 
comparison with the existing populations in Lake County and the Chicago 
metropolitan area, and will not result in significant impacts to 
facilities or services on-base or in the region. The additional 
economic activity from the action will result in a net positive effect 
on the local economy. The action will not significantly impact existing 
land uses at NTC Great Lakes, in the City of North Chicago, or the 
Village of Lake Bluff. The action will provide a net increase of 206 
new family housing units at the Glenview Annex family housing area 
because 34 units of existing family housing will be replaced. The 
additional vehicular traffic generated by the action will not be 
significant and the cumulative impact is anticipated to be less than 
1990 levels.
    The action will increase the number of school-aged children by an 
estimated 312 students, with an estimated 122 students being dispersed 
throughout the local communities as a result of naval personnel living 
off-base. The remaining 190 students are expected to reside in the NAS 
Glenview family housing. Based on current distribution of naval 
personnel living off-base, the 122 additional students will attend 
schools in the communities surrounding NTC Great Lakes and the impacts 
to individual schools will be minimal. Of the 190 students expected to 
reside at NAS Glenview, it is estimated that 38 students will attend 
District 225 schools and the remaining 152 students will attend 
District 34 schools. District 225 officials consider school capacity to 
be sufficient and financial impacts to be negligible. District 34 has 
indicated that an additional 152 students would have a negative impact 
on district facilities and finances, and could require six to seven new 
classrooms. The school district should receive Federal Impact Aid 
reimbursement for lost property taxes for each family residing at 
Glenview Annex. This will serve to equalize the contribution from 
Glenview Annex residents with those of the local community for 
education support. Additionally, it is expected that the conversion of 
much of the currently non-taxable NAS Glenview property to commercial, 
industrial, office, and other taxable property will have a positive 
impact on District 34 revenues.
    Utilities at NTC Great Lakes and at the NAS Glenview family housing 
site have adequate capacity to serve the additional personnel at both 
sites. NTC is allowed to discharge up to 10.5 million gallons per day 
(mgd) to the local wastewater treatment authority, and the realignment 
will bring the total NTC discharge to 2.8 mgd. The wastewater treatment 
facility serving Glenview Annex has 180 mgd excess capacity, and will 
be able to accommodate the additional 0.2 mgd discharge from the Navy 
family housing units. Police and fire protection services are also 
adequate to serve the needs of the new facilities. An expansion of the 
medical and dental facilities at NTC Great Lakes is programmed to meet 
the needs of the additional incoming students and staff population. On-
base community and recreational services and facilities are adequate to 
serve the needs of the larger population at both NTC Great Lakes and 
the NAS Glenview family housing area.
    The action will result in no significant impacts to plant or animal 
species listed as threatened or endangered by either federal or state 
agencies. Potential impacts to cultural resources at NTC Great Lakes 
have been evaluated in compliance with Section 106 of the National 
Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Renovations will be undertaken for 
four buildings (Building 4, 177, 178, and 179) in the National Historic 
District at NTC Great Lakes. However, only building 4 is a contributing 
property of major significance within the historic district. All 
modifications to this building will be approved by the Illinois 
Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA) during the early phases of project 
design. The IHPA has determined that no significant historic, 
architectural, or archeological resources are located in the Glenview 
Annex project area.
    Questions regarding the Draft and Final Environmental Impact 
Statement prepared for this action may be directed to: Commanding 
Officer, Southern Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, North 
Charleston, SC 29419-9010 (Attn: Mr. Robert Teague, Code 203RT), 
telephone (804) 743-0785, fax (803) 743-0993.

    Dated: October 21, 1994.
Elsie L. Munsell,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Environment and Safety).

    Dated: October 24, 1994.
L.R. McNees,
LCDR, JAGC, USN, Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 94-26692 Filed 10-27-94; 8:45 am]
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