Closure of Coast Guard Facilities on Governors Island, NY, and Relocation of Coast Guard Facilities; Environmental Assessment and Draft Finding of No Significant Impact

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard

[CGD 95-046]

Closure of Coast Guard Facilities on Governors Island, NY, and

Relocation of Coast Guard Facilities; Environmental Assessment and

Draft Finding of No Significant Impact

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA)

and a draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the closure of

Coast Guard facilities on Governors Island and relocation of Coast

Guard operations and facilities to several receiving sites. The EA

concluded that there will be no significant impact on the environment

and that preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement will not be

necessary. This notice announces the availability of the EA and draft

FONSI and solicits comments.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before July 3, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to the Commanding Officer, U.S. Coast

Guard Civil Engineering Unit Providence, 300 Metro Center Blvd.,

Warwick, RI 02886, or may be delivered to the same address between 8

a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays. The

telephone number is (401) 736-1776.

Copies of the EA and draft FONSI may be obtained by contacting LCDR

Dan Takasugi at (401) 736-1776 or faxing a request to (401) 736-1704.

Several copies of the EA and draft FONSI are also available for

inspection at the Governors Island Library; the New Amsterdam Public

Library, 9 Murray [[Page 28643]] Street, New York, NY 10007; the St.

George Public Library, 5 Central Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10301; and

the Middletown Public Library, 55 New Monmouth Road, Middletown, NJ

07748.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: LCDR Dan Takasugi, Executive Officer,

Civil Engineering Unit Providence, (401) 736-1776.

Request for Comments

Copies of the EA and draft FONSI are available as described under

ADDRESSES. The Coast Guard encourages interested persons to comment on

these documents. The Coast Guard will consider these comments prior to

making a decision to implement closure and relocation actions.

Background

Governors Island is located in New York Harbor, south of Manhattan

and west of Brooklyn. It houses a large U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)

facility, Support Center New York, and a number of tenant commands. The

172-acre island is surrounded by a seawall and is accessed by ferry

from Manhattan.

The USCG is looking for a means to reduce its annual operating

costs and closure of the Governors Island facility is intended to

partially fulfill that goal. The USCG functions at Governors Island

would be relocated off the island.

This Environmental Assessment (EA) was prepared pursuant to the

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 and evaluates the

potential environmental impacts of closure of Coast Guard facilities at

Governors Island. It also evaluates the potential environmental impacts

of relocating these facilities to other sites in the New York Harbor

region including: land use; infrastructure (traffic and utilities);

public services; public health and safety; noise; air quality; geology

and soils; water resources; biological resources; cultural resources;

and socioeconomics.

Those facilities on Governors Island which provide service to the

New York Harbor region would be relocated to other facilities within

the New York Harbor region located at the Battery Park Building,

Military Ocean Terminal Bayonne, Rosebank, Wadsworth, and Sandy Hook.

The description of the relocation sites is as follows:

(a) The Battery Park Building: The proposed action would relocate

various local functions from Governors Island to the Battery Park

Building in Manhattan. This would include offices for the Coast Guard

Auxiliary, Recruiting, Law Enforcement, Licensing and Inspection, and

Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System (AMVER) programs. No

vessels would be relocated from Governors Island to the Battery Park

Building. The building would be renovated but no building demolition or

construction would be involved.

(b) Military Ocean Terminal Bayonne, NJ: The proposed action would

relocate the Aids to Navigation Team (ANT) and nine Coast Guard vessels

currently stationed at Governors Island to Bayonne, New Jersey. Cutters

that would be relocated at Bayonne include the U.S. Coast Guard (USCGC)

RED BEECH (a 157-foot buoy tender), USCGC PENOBSCOT BAY (a 140-foot

cutter), USCGC STURGEON BAY (a 140-foot cutter), two 65-foot tugboats,

two 46-foot buoy tenders, and two 21-foot vessels. Construction

activities would include wharf improvements, new floating docks, a new

fuel system, and new shore ties. A new building would be constructed

for the ANT team for new facilities, storage, and parking. Storage

areas would be used for hazardous materials (batteries, paints,

solvents, and lubricants) and storage for vehicles, trailer-mounted

vessels, and ANT supplies.

(c) Rosebank, Staten Island: The proposed action would relocate

Station New York from Governors Island to Rosebank on Staten Island.

Six search and rescue vessels and related equipment would be relocated

at Rosebank. New construction would include the replacement of existing

piers, the addition of wave screens, and the addition of a new fueling

system for these vessels. Two buildings would be demolished and

replaced, and existing housing in two other buildings would be

renovated.

(d) Wadsworth, Staten Island: The proposed action would relocate

Group New York administrative offices, the Vessel Traffic Service (VTS)

control room, and the Marine Safety Office to Wadsworth on Staten

Island. No vessels would be relocated to this facility. Construction

activities would include the renovation of one building and a portion

of an existing building, and the demolition of three buildings for new

parking areas.

(e) Sandy Hook, NJ: The proposed action would relocate Group New

York engineering functions to Sandy Hook, in New Jersey. No vessels

would be relocated to this facility.

Construction activities would include the renovation of the

Administrative building and boathouse, demolition of the Maintenance

and Repair building, the construction of a new Group Engineering

building, and parking improvements.

Two alternatives for the closure of Coast Guard facilities at

Governors Island are discussed in the Environmental Assessment: closure

with standard maintenance, and closure with basic maintenance. Under

both alternatives, the relocation of tenant commands would be the same.

The standard maintenance alternative would provide utility maintenance,

full-time fire and security service, and full building maintenance,

consistent with the historic landmark maintenance plan. The basic

maintenance alternative would limit government maintenance expenditures

to the least amount feasible. A third alternative, the no action

alternative, assumes the continued operation of Support Center New York

on Governors Island.

The standard maintenance alternative is the preferred alternative.

This alternative was determined to have no significant environmental

impacts. Consequently, preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement

is not required to implement this alternative.

Kent H. Williams,

Vice Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Chief of Staff.

[FR Doc. 95-13412 Filed 5-31-95; 8:45 am]

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