[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 69 (Monday, April 12, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17685-17686]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-9029]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Job Corps: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)
for the New Job Corps Center Located Off Walgreen Road in Jacksonville,
FL
AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.
ACTION: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the
New Job Corps Center to be located off of Walgreen Road in
Jacksonville, Florida.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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 May 12, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Any comment(s) are to be submitted to Amy J. Knight,
Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor, 200
Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N-4659, Washington, DC 20210, (202) 219-
5468 ext. 103 (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 Melvin R.
Collins, Regional Director, Region IV (Four), Office of Job Corps, 61
Forsyth Street, Atlanta, GA 30303, (404) 562-2382 (this is not a toll-
free number).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The proposed development site is located approximately 2.9 miles
northeast of the Jacksonville City Hall and is located off of Walgreen
Road in Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida. The EA indicates that the
site is located within an approximate 40-acre wooded and undeveloped
parcel. The subject property has undeveloped parcels of land as well as
land developed with commercial, industrial, and residential properties
in the vicinity (one eighth mile).
The property is currently owned by JARU Inc., Mr. Lawrence and
Linda DuBow, and Mr. Leonard Setzer. The site does not contain any
structures, and historical aerial photographs indicate that the
property has been wooded dating back to 1951, with the exception of a
small residential structure that was historically found in the
northeast corner of the subject property. The structure is no longer
standing, but a portion of the foundation is still standing.
The proposed Jacksonville Job Corps Center will be a totally new
facility utilizing a campus setting. The new Job Corps Center will
replace the existing Job Corps facility currently located at 205 West
Third Street in Jacksonville, Florida. The new facility will consist of
multiple buildings which will support 272 Resident Students and 28 Non-
resident Students. The new facility will consist of no fewer than eight
buildings, including dormitories, vocational shops, maintenance and
warehouse, cafeteria, physical fitness center, administration and
support facilities, and classroom facilities. There will be one
dormitory building for males and one dormitory building for females,
with a capacity of 136 students each. Classroom space will be provided
in an education building. There will also be a vocational education
building, a cafeteria/culinary arts building, a recreation building, an
administration and medical/dental building, and a maintenance/warehouse
building. The gross area of the facility will be 151,500 square feet,
not including proposed outdoor recreation areas. The proposed project
will be constructed in accordance with local fire and building code
requirements.
The construction of the Job Corps Center on this undeveloped parcel
would be a positive asset to the area in terms of environmental and
socioeconomic improvements, and long-term productivity. The
construction of the proposed Job Corps Center will provide employment
opportunities for Jacksonville, Florida area residents. The Job Corps
program provides basic education, vocational skills training, work
experience, counseling, health care and related support services for
young adults; the 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. All construction or development
activities that will possibly impact jurisdictional wetland areas will
be conducted in compliance with federal and state requirements. There
are no historically significant buildings on the site, and no areas of
archaeological significance. No state or federal threatened or
endangered species (proposed or listed) have been located on the
subject property.
Air quality and noise levels should not be affected by the proposed
development project in the light industrial area in Jacksonville,
Florida. Due to the nature of the proposed project, it would not be a
source of air pollutants or additional noise, except possibly during
construction of the facility. All construction 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 the vehicle traffic in the
vicinity.
The proposed project will not have any significant adverse impact
on the surrounding water, sewer, and storm water management
infrastructure. Water and sewage service for the new facility will be
provided by the Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA). These utility
systems are readily accessible and have sufficient capacity to
accommodate the new Job Corps Center. All wastewater from the center
will be treated at JEA's Main Street wastewater treatment plant. All
drinking water will be provided by the JEA's Buckman water treatment
plant, which is the municipal water supply for the surrounding area.
Drinking water for the Buckman plant is obtained from deep wells into
the Florida Aquifer. Storm water runoff from parking lots, sidewalks,
and other structures will be managed in accordance with the
requirements of the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD),
and storm water runoff is not anticipated to adversely impact area
surface water quality.
The City of Jacksonville, Office of Solid Waste and Resource
Management, operates its own landfill (Trail Ridge Landfill). Municipal
solid waste is collected weekly by the city. The estimated life
remaining at the landfill is 21 years, based on recent implementation
of a recycling program. Waste disposal at the new Job Corps Center will
be provided by either the Office of Solid Waste and Resource
Management, or one of several waste disposal contractors currently
servicing the community. The construction and
[[Page 17686]]
relocation of the existing Job Corps Center to this new site is not
expected to increase demand for space at the Trail Ridge Landfill.
JEA provides electrical service to the project site. Natural gas is
provided by Florida Gas Transmission Company, and telephone service is
provided by BellSouth. All of these utilities have distribution lines
in the vicinity which have sufficient capacity to handle the increased
service demand created by the new Job Corps Center. The increased
demand for utility services is not expected to have a significant
adverse affect on the environment.
Walgreen Road leads directly to the proposed project site but not
onto the subject property. Walgreen Road connects to Golfair Road, to
the south, which leads to several other main thoroughfares within the
City of Jacksonville and is part of the Jacksonville Transit Authority
route. These services can be used to access all aspects of the greater
Jacksonville area. Roadways will need to be constructed on the new Job
Corps Center project site, but no significant adverse affects are
expected.
No significant adverse affects should be felt by the local medical,
emergency, fire and police facilities. There are several primary
providers of medical services in the Jacksonville area. The primary
medical provider located closest to the subject property is the
Methodist Medical Center. There are also private medical facilities
located in the Jacksonville area. The Job Corps Center will also have a
small medical and dental facility on-site for use by the residents as
necessary.
Security services at the Jacksonville Job Corps will be provided by
the center's staff, with two personnel on the day shift, three on
evening shift, and two on the night shift. It is not anticipated that
the Job Corps Center will need additional security support from the
community. Police services are provided by the Jacksonville Police
Department, the Duval County Sheriff's Office, and the Florida State
Police. The Jacksonville Police substation serving the proposed subject
property is the Zone 1, Substation Norwood, which is located at the
Gateway Shopping Plaza. No police services will be adversely impacted
by proposed Job Corps Center.
The City of Jacksonville will provide fire and emergency response
to the project site. The closest station to the project site is Station
# 2 located at 4th and North Main Street, which is approximately four
blocks from the project site. Backup assistance will be from the
Station # 1 at 611 Liberty Street. The Jacksonville Fire Department is
a paid, professional fire-fighting organization providing 24-hour
service. In addition, the Jacksonville area utilizes the 911 emergency
call system for all emergencies, including fire and police. All fire
and emergency services in the area are adequate for the project.
The proposed project population will not have a significant adverse
sociological effect on the City of Jacksonville community. This area is
characterized by a fairly diverse ethnicity, and offers numerous
educational and recreational opportunities. Similarly, the proposed
project will not have a significant adverse affect on demographic and
socioeconomic characteristics of the area.
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. The current Jacksonville Job Corps Center is located
in a run-down facility that is inadequate to meet the educational,
residential, and recreational needs of the staff, faculty, and students
at the Center. The ``Alternate Site'' alternative was not selected. The
Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration solicited
proposals for relocation properties on February 8, 1998, and received
proposals for five properties in Jacksonville, Florida. Of the five
proposed sites evaluated by the Department of Labor, Employment and
Training Administration, only the subject property on Walgreen Road was
determined to be suitable for construction of a Job Corps Center.
Due to the inadequate facilities currently occupied by the
Jacksonville Job Corps Center, the lack of alternative construction
sites, and the absence of any identified adverse environmental impacts
from locating a Job Corps Center at 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 planned construction
of a Job Corps Center on the undeveloped parcel located off of Walgreen
Road in Jacksonville, Florida, will not create any significant adverse
impacts on the environment.
Dated at Washington, DC, this 6th day of April, 1999.
Mary Silva,
Director of Job Corps.
[FR Doc. 99-9029 Filed 4-9-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-30-P