Job Corps: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the New Job Corps Center Located at 3300 South Kedzie Avenue in Chicago, IL

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

Job Corps: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)

for the New Job Corps Center Located at 3300 South Kedzie Avenue in

Chicago, IL

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration.

ACTION: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the

New Job Corps Center located at 3300 South Kedzie Avenue in Chicago,

Illinois.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations

(40 CFR Part 1500-08) implementing procedural provisions of the

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 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 the new

Chicago Job Corps Center will have no significant environmental impact,

and 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 August 16, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Any comment(s) are to be submitted to Amy Knight, Employment

and Training Administration, Department of Labor, 200 Constitution

Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20210, (202) 219-5468 (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 Richard Trigg, Regional Director, Region V

(Five), Office of the Job Corps, 230 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL

60604, (312) 353-1311 (this is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed site is located approximately 7

miles southwest of the Chicago Loop on a 30.7-acre parcel which is

currently undeveloped and is in an urban/industrial area adjacent to

the north side of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. The EA indicates

that the property consists of 14 acres currently owned by the City of

Chicago and 16.7 acres owned by the State of Illinois. An historical

review indicates that one or several small structures may have existed

on the property at one time or another; however, the records do not

indicate how the structures were used. The site consists of fill

material which is believed to have been dredged from the adjacent

Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. The fill has been dumped on the site

over a period of many years along with other unknown sources of garbage

and miscellaneous debris. The southwest corner of the site slopes

southwest towards the Canal where a small wetland area exists. The rest

of the site is characterized by low quality vegetation. The proposed

site is bordered by the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad to the north,

the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal to the south, a radio station and

Kedzie Avenue to the east, and more vacant land and Central Park Avenue

to the west.

As a result of the many years of dredging and dumping of the nearby

canal sediments onto adjacent land, the site was contaminated with lead

and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Contaminated soils containing

lead and PCBs were removed from the site as part of the pre-

construction soil remediation work. If left unremediated, these

contaminants could have posed a health risk via soil contact, air

emissions, and groundwater contact during the construction process.

Identified areas of PCB and lead contaminated soil have been remediated

by the City of Chicago to safe levels.

A Corrective Action Certification Report was prepared to certify

that the preconstruction soil remediation work at the above referenced

project has been completed and meets the cleanup objectives of the Site

Management Plan approved by the IEPA. The completed remediation work

effectively reduced the risk of exposure to personnel performing the

construction of the Job Corps training facility, as well as to Job

Corps personnel and students, in accordance with the risk assessment

approved by the IEPA. The conclusions of the Site Management Plan

clearly indicate that the goals and objectives of the Site Management

Plan can be effectively accomplished to further reduce the overall risk

to workers during construction and to Job Corps personnel and students

engaged at activities planned for the Chicago Job Corps Center.

The proposed Chicago Job Corps Center is designed to accommodate

approximately 348 full-time residential students. An additional

estimate of 28 non-resident students will increase the total to 376

students. The property will consist of dormitories, educational/

vocational facilities, food service facilities, medical/dental

facilities, recreational facilities, administrative offices, storage

and support. The proposed project is designed to be constructed in

accordance with the local fire, building, and zoning code requirements.

Conversion of this undeveloped property to a Job Corps Center would

be a positive asset to the area in terms of environmental and

socioeconomic improvements and long-term productivity. The Chicago Job

Corps Center will be a new source of employment opportunity. In

addition, the Job Corps program, which provides basic education,

vocational skills training, work experience, counseling, health care

and related support services, is expected to graduate students ready to

participate in the local economy and elsewhere.

The proposed project will not have any significant adverse impact

on any natural system or resource. There are no ``historically

significant'' buildings on the site and no areas of archaeological

significance. There are no threatened or endangered species located on

the site.

[[Page 37292]]

Remediation of lead and PCB contaminated soil has been completed in

accordance with the CDOE and IEPA approved site management plan,

therefore surface water, ground water, and the remaining low quality

vegetation would not be adversely affected. Future construction and

operational activities associated with the proposed project will

compare favorably to the surrounding land uses which are characterized

by urban/industrial and residential construction. Any additional

remediation of contaminated soil that may be encountered during the

construction phase of this project will be remediated using proper

engineering controls to minimize or eliminate impacts from

contamination upon the natural systems and resources.

Garbage and debris on site which could contain asbestos and/or

lead-based paint has or will be removed as part of the site remediation

prior to the use of the facility. The proposed site has been identified

by the Illinois Division of Nuclear Safety has an area of low potential

for radon gas accumulation in concentrations requiring remediation

activities.

The proposed project will not have any significant adverse impact

upon air quality, noise levels, and lighting. Since this an industrial

area, air quality is generally poorer than areas located west and north

of the City of Chicago. The proposed project would not be a source of

air emissions. Noise levels in the area are consistent with urban/

industrial areas and, with the exception of the construction period,

the proposed project will not be a source of additional noise. Finally,

street lights for the proposed project will be modified in the final

design, if necessary, to ensure levels of illumination consistent with

the utilization needs.

The proposed project will not have any significant adverse impacts

upon the existing surrounding infrastructure represented by water,

sewer, and storm water systems. Adequate water is available to the site

through the City of Chicago Bureau of Water Distribution. The City

operates a combined sanitary and storm sewer system which is maintained

by the Department of Sewers. The collection system is readily

accessible and deemed to be adequate. All wastewater treatment will be

handled by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater

Chicago at the Stickney wastewater treatment facility. The Stickney

plant is operating under an existing National Pollution Discharge

Elimination System (NPDES) permit.

The proposed site is surrounded by electrical power, with power

lines bordering the site to the north and east. New distribution

systems would be easily accessible from the adjacent lines. The

proposed demands on electric power are not expected to have a

significant adverse affect on the environment. The site location to

road and public transportation corridors makes it an excellent location

for public access. Adequate roads within the site would also be

constructed, and traffic patterns to and from the site would be closely

monitored to insure a satisfactory movement of vehicles. Therefore, no

significant adverse affects are expected.

There will be no significant adverse affects upon local medical,

emergency, fire and police facilities, all of which are located within

2.25 miles of the proposed site. A medical and dental facility will

also be part of the on-site Job Corps complex to accommodate students.

The new Job Corps facility will be supported by local medical

facilities, including St. Anthony Hospital and Mt. Sinai Hospital

Medical Center located in the nearby neighborhoods of Chicago.

Emergency, fire, and police services will be provided by the City of

Chicago Fire and Police Departments. None of these facilities will be

adversely impacted by the Job Corps Center.

The proposed project population will not have a significant adverse

sociological effect on the surrounding community, which is

characterized by a diverse ethnicity, and offers an abundance of

cultural, 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 the EA were as

follows: (1) the ``No Build'' alternative, (2) the ``Alternative

Sites'' alternative, and (3) the ``Continue as Proposed'' alternative.

The ``No Build'' alternative, originally considered based on

environmental concerns related to soil contamination specific to this

site, was not selected. A Corrective Action Plan and Site Management

Plan to address identified environmental concerns have been developed

and approved by environmental regulatory agencies. Future actions to

comply with the Site Management Plan include an orientation session,

safety protocols, environmental monitoring, and placement of a 3-foot

layer of clean fill to be spread as a protective cover over undeveloped

portions of the site. Alternative sites in other regional metropolitan

areas were considered by the Department of Labor for the new Job Corps

Center site, but none of the proposed alternative sites met the minimum

selection criteria for locating the proposed facilities. The proposed

facilities will be suitable for their intended purpose in the Job

Corps, will be environmentally safe, and will be consistent with

current building codes and safety practices.

Based on the information gathered during the preparation of the EA

for the Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration,

the Office of Job Corps finds that the location of a Job Corps Center

on the undeveloped parcel of property located at 3300 South Kedzie

Avenue in Chicago, Illinois will not create any significant adverse

impact on the environment and, therefore, recommends that the project

continue as proposed. The proposed project is not considered to be

highly controversial.

Dated at Washington, DC, this 11th day of July, 1996.

Mary H. Silva,

Director of Job Corps.

[FR Doc. 96-18131 Filed 7-16-96; 8:45 am]

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