[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 236 (Monday, December 11, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58218-58219]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-26579]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Draft Finding of No Significant Impact for the Proposed 
Rehabilitation or Replacement of Buildings at the Gulfport Job Corps 
Center, 3300 20th Street, Gulfport, Mississippi 39501

AGENCY: Office of Job Corps, Employment and Training Administration 
(ETA), Labor.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL or Department), ETA, Office of 
Job Corps, is issuing a draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) 
regarding the proposed rehabilitation or replacement of buildings at 
the Gulfport Job Corps Center (JCC) in Gulfport, Mississippi.

DATES: To be ensured for consideration, comments must be submitted in 
writing on or before January 10, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Comments can be submitted by email to Marsha Fitzhugh at 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marsha Fitzhugh, Division of 
Facilities and Asset Management, Office of Job Corps, ETA, U.S. 
Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room N-4463, 
Washington, DC 20210; Telephone (202) 693-3000 (this is not a toll-free 
number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction

    Established in 1964, Job Corps is a national program administered 
by ETA in the Department. It is the nation's largest federally-funded, 
primarily residential training program for youth ages 16-24. With 125 
centers across the country, Job Corps seeks to change lives through 
education and job training for in-demand careers. Job Corps serves at-
risk young people who seek to overcome barriers to employment, which 
can include poverty, homelessness, or aging out of the foster care 
system, by providing them with the academic, career technical, and 
employability skills to enter the workforce, enroll in post-secondary 
education, pursue apprenticeship opportunities, or enlist in the 
military.
    The Gulfport JCC opened in 1978 utilizing buildings that were 
initially constructed in 1954 as a high school for African-American 
students, known as the 33rd Avenue High School. The three original high 
school buildings, which are considered eligible for inclusion on the 
National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), sustained extensive damage 
during Hurricane Katrina. As a result, the Gulfport JCC reopened with 
temporary facilities three and a half years after the storm. These 
three original buildings have not been rehabilitated.

II. Environmental Assessment and Draft Finding of No Significant Impact

    Pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations 
(40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] part 1500-08) implementing 
procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 
the DOL, ETA, and Office of Job Corps, in accordance with 29 CFR 
11.11(d), give notice that an Environmental Assessment (EA) has been 
prepared for the proposed rehabilitation or replacement of buildings at 
the Gulfport Job Corps Center (JCC), Gulfport, Mississippi. The EA 
evaluated the potential environmental and socioeconomic impacts 
associated with the redevelopment of buildings at the Gulfport JCC. 
Three action alternatives and the No Action Alternative were evaluated 
in the EA. After careful consideration, it was determined that the 
Preferred Alternative, to retain the existing street-facing building 
fa[ccedil]ades and construct new buildings behind the fa[ccedil]ades, 
would best meet the purpose and need without causing significant 
environmental impacts. This Preferred Alternative would add 
approximately 93,000 gross square feet (GSF) of permanent, functional 
space at the Gulfport JCC.
    The Preferred Alternative would retain the appearance of the 
historic structures by retaining the street-facing fa[ccedil]ades of 
Building 1, originally the main high school building, and Building 2, 
the gymnasium. New buildings would be constructed behind the 
fa[ccedil]ades to provide administration, educational, medical/dental, 
and recreation spaces that meet the needs of the Gulfport JCC and Job 
Corps program guidelines. Building 5, the cafeteria, would be 
demolished and replaced by a new, modern cafeteria, and a new building 
would be constructed for vocational training for shop-related trades 
and for storage and maintenance. The Preferred Alternative would result 
in a modern Job Corps instructional campus that meets the purpose of 
and need for the proposed action.
    Under the Preferred Alternative, there would be adverse impacts on 
historic properties; however, adverse impacts would be resolved through 
mitigation. A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between DOL, the Advisory 
Council on Historic Preservation, and the City of Gulfport 
memorializing the steps necessary to mitigate the adverse effects cause 
by the Preferred Alternative for the Gulfport JCC redevelopment project 
was executed on September 19, 2017. Mitigation measures include 
retaining the street-facing fa[ccedil]ades of Buildings 1 and 2, with 
new buildings being constructed behind the fa[ccedil]ades; preparation 
of Historic American Building Survey (HABS) Level II, which would 
record the appearance and history of the buildings to be filed with the 
National Park Service for inclusion in the Library of Congress' HABS 
collection; an exhibit near the entrance to the new Main Building to 
preserve the memory of the 33rd Avenue High School and honor its 
alumni; and renaming the Gulfport JCC to memorialize the 33rd Avenue 
High School. Because adverse impacts on cultural resources would be 
resolved through mitigation, the Preferred Alternative would not result 
in significant impacts on cultural resources.
    To comply with the CEQ requirement for ``early and meaningful 
public participation,'' the public was invited to meetings and 
encouraged to provide input throughout the process of developing the 
EA. A public scoping meeting was held on June 14, 2016, in Gulfport, to 
discuss the proposed project. Public comments received at the meeting 
were considered in the preparation of the EA. The Draft EA was provided 
to the public for a 30-day review and comment period. The availability 
of the EA for review was announced through a news release published in 
the Sun Herald on November 16, 2016, and a Federal

[[Page 58219]]

Register notice published on November 17, 2016. Additionally, the EA 
was available at the Gulfport Public Library and posted on the Job 
Corps Web site, and copies of the EA were mailed to key stakeholders. 
Comments received were addressed as part of the Section 106 
consultation and incorporated into the MOA and the Final EA. A second 
public meeting was held on February 15, 2017, in the Gulfport City 
Council Chambers to present information on the Section 106 
consultation. Forty-three citizens attended the meeting. Comments 
received were incorporated into the MOA.
    The Draft Final EA and Draft FONSI will be available for public 
review and comment for a period of 30 days at the Gulfport Public 
Library, 1708 25th Avenue, Gulfport, MS 39501, and at http://www.jobcorps.gov/home.aspx.

Nancy M. Rooney,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training.
[FR Doc. 2017-26579 Filed 12-8-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4510-FT-P