[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 7 (Wednesday, January 11, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2786-2788]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-667]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Job Corps: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) 
for the New Job Corps Center in Ft. Devens, MA

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the 
New Job Corps Center in Ft. Devens, Massachusetts.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations 
(40 CFR Part 1500-08) implementing procedural provisions of the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 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 the 
establishment of a Job Corps Center on a portion of former Ft. Devens, 
Massachusetts, will have no significant environmental impact, and 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 February 10, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Any comment(s) are to be submitted to Lynn Kotecki, 
Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor, 200 
Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC, 20210, (202) 219-5468.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Copies of the EA and additional information are available to interested 
parties by contacting Albert Glastetter, Director, Region I (One), 
Office of Job Corps, One Congress Street, 11th Floor, Boston, 
Massachusetts, 02114, (617) 565-2167.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed site, located in the abandoned 
Verbeck Housing Complex on Ft. Devens, Massachusetts, is comprised of 
thirty-five (35) acres. The site is part of the larger Ft. Devens 
complex which consists of approximately 9,300 acres, but which is to be 
downsized pursuant to a recommendation by the Defense Base Realignment 
and Closure Committee. Ft. Devens has served its military role since 
1917. The proposed site is located in the Main Post of Ft. Devens, 
bordered by West Main Street to the north, and the Town of Ayer to the 
east.

    Prior to initiating the proposed action, the Verbeck Housing 
Complex is scheduled to be razed, along with ancillary facilities that 
currently occupy the site. Following the demolition, the proposed Job 
Corps Center would be constructed to accommodate 400 full-time 
residential students with dormitories, educational/vocational 
facilities, food service facilities, medical/dental facilities, 
administrative offices, storage and support. Approximately 201,200 
gross square feet of new structures is planned. The

[[Page 2787]]

proposed project will be constructed in accordance with local fire, 
building, and zoning code requirements and will not adversely impact 
local police, fire, or emergency services.
    The site is located in a rural/suburban setting with substantial 
open space extending in all directions. To the north, across West Main 
Street, in Ayer, Massachusetts is a substantial wetland. To the east is 
a wooded hill and to the west are large, grassy fields. Towards the 
south are playgrounds that surround an elementary school that is part 
of Ft. Devens.
    The new facilities associated with the Job Corps would make use of 
an existing roadway network and infrastructure such as water and sewer 
lines, telephone poles, and stormwater drainage systems. The razing 
operation will include removal of all asbestos materials, lead-based 
paints, underground storage tanks, and contaminated soils resulting 
from earlier fuel oil spills as required by local, state and federal 
laws. Conversion of this part of Ft. Devens to a Job Corps Center would 
be a positive asset to the area in terms of environmental and 
socioeconomic improvements and long-term productivity. The Job Corps 
program, which will provide basic education, and vocational skills 
training, work experience, counseling, health care and related support 
services, is expected to graduate students who are ready to participate 
in the local economy that, with the loss of Ft. Devens as a significant 
employer, is expected to realize an increase in demand for employment.
    The proposed project would have no significant adverse impact on 
any natural system or resource. The existing buildings that will be 
removed are not designated ``historically significant'' and the site 
includes no areas of archaeological significance. Construction of new 
Job Corps Center buildings will not adversely impact the existing 
environment including surface water, groundwater, woodlands, wetlands, 
threatened and endangered species in the Ft. Devens area because 
operational activities associated with the proposed project do not 
represent a significant change from the historical use of the Verbeck 
site as a residential area. A short-term impact from construction, such 
as fugitive dust emissions, will be mitigated through the use of dust 
suppression techniques, thereby reducing dust exposure to areas in the 
vicinity of the proposed construction sites. The expected base-wide 
remediation of contamination, currently underway by the U.S. Army, both 
in the Verbeck site and throughout Ft. Devens, would minimize impacts 
from existing sources of contamination upon the natural systems and 
resources.
    Based upon preliminary analysis, no significant levels of radon 
exist on site. Water quality of both the Ft. Devens water supply and 
the adjoining Town of Ayer water supply document no levels of lead 
present in the drinking water. An asbestos assessment of the existing 
building complex is currently underway and all asbestos will be removed 
in accordance with all applicable local, state, and federal safety and 
health laws, when the buildings are razed. Leadbased paint, abandoned 
underground storage tanks, and contaminated soils will be similarly 
removed when the site is demolished.
    The proposed project would have no significant adverse impact upon 
current air quality, noise levels, and lighting. Air quality is good in 
the area and the proposed project would not be a source of air 
emissions. Operational noise levels of the project are consistent with 
rural/suburban areas and, with the exception of the construction 
period, would not be source of additional noise in the area. Finally, 
street lights for the proposed project can be modified in the final 
design to ensure levels of illumination consistent with those in the 
surrounding area.
    The proposed project would have no significant adverse impacts upon 
the existing infrastructure represented by water, sewer and stormwater 
systems.Adequate water is available to the site through the Ft. Devens 
water supply system or that of the nearby Town of Ayer. Stormwater 
runoff is accommodated by an in-place system that can be improved with 
minimal repairs. The sanitary sewer collection system is in place and 
deemed to be adequate. Wastewater treatment can be achieved at the 
nearby Ft. Devens Wastewater Treatment Plant or the Town of Ayer's 
Treatment Plant once those facilities have met the state regulations 
for treatment and discharge--activities that are currently underway.
    The proposed site has an abundance of electrical power and natural 
gas delivered to its boundaries, but would require installation of new 
distribution systems to bring all facilities up to codes. The proposed 
demands on electric power and natural gas, however, are not expected to 
have a significant adverse impact on the environment. Similarly, 
traffic behavior patterns are not expected to change as a result of the 
proposed project; the main intersection (Verbeck Gate) would continue 
to provide an adequate level of service onto West Main Street, so no 
significant adverse impact is expected.
    It is not anticipated that the proposed site will have a 
significant adverse impact upon the local medical, emergency, fire and 
police facilities, all of which are located in the Town of Ayer, which 
is within one mile of the proposed site. The existing facilities will 
be adequate to address normal emergencies; however, they can be 
supported, if necessary, by other medical facilities such as the seven 
hospitals located within a fifteen-mile radius of the site. There are 
additional emergency, fire and police facilities in the neighboring 
towns of Harvard and Shirley, and in Ft. Devens itself.
    The proposed project would not have a significant adverse effect on 
the surrounding community, which is characterized by a diverse 
ethnicity and offers an abundance of recreational, educational and 
cultural opportunities. Similarly, the proposed project would not have 
a significant adverse impact on demographics and socioeconomic 
characteristics of the area. Rather, the implementation of a Job Corps 
Center on the proposed site will help to fill a void created by the 
closure of Ft. Devens by providing jobs and educational opportunities 
for local residents.
    A public forum was held in Fort Devens on February 2, 1994. There 
was voiced strong support from the Towns of Ayer, Harvard, and Shirley 
for the proposed project. All towns were in favor of siting a Job Corps 
Center on Fort Devens, and concluded that the Job Corps program is a 
very worthwhile Program and would benefit the area as a whole.
    The alternatives considered in the preparation of the EA were: (1) 
The ``No Build'' alternative, (2) the ``Alternative Sites'' 
alternative, and (3) the ``Continue as Proposed'' alternative. The ``No 
Build'' alternative is considered inadequate because it would require 
fitting the Job Corps program into an existing building complex that is 
ill-equipped for its intended use and, due to its age, is characterized 
by old, out-of-date systems and potential sources of environmental 
contamination (e.g. asbestos, lead-based paint, contaminated soils). 
Alternative locations, meanwhile, are determined to be not available 
because all locations were originally evaluated through a formal rating 
process nationwide before selecting the Ft. Devens site. The Proposed 
Project meets both the goals of the Job Corps and the location 
requirements. After construction, the new facilities would be suitable 
for their intended purpose in the Job Corps, and would be 
environmentally safe and

[[Page 2788]]

consistent with current building codes and safety practices.
    Based on the information gathered during the preparation of the EA 
for the Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, 
the Office of Job Corps finds that the location of a Job Corps Center 
at the former Verbeck Housing Complex on Ft. Devens, Massachusetts, 
will not cause any significant impact on the environment and, 
therefore, recommends that the project continue as proposed. This 
proposed action is not considered to be highly controversial.

    Dated at Washington, DC, this 23rd day of December, 1994.
Peter E. Rell,
Director of Job Corps.
[FR Doc. 95-667 Filed 1-10-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-30-M