[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