[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