[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 223 (Friday, November 19, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63340-63342]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-30243]


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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.

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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. 99-30243 Filed 11-18-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-30-P