Final General Management Plans/Environmental Impact Statements, Manhattan Sites, New York; Notice of Availability of Final Plans and Environmental Impact Statements

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Final General Management Plans/Environmental Impact Statements,

Manhattan Sites, New York; Notice of Availability of Final Plans and

Environmental Impact Statements

Pursuant to Council on Environmental Quality regulations and

National Park Service policy, the National Park Service (NPS) announces

the release of the Final General Management Plans/Environmental Impact

Statements, Manhattan Sites, New York. The National Park Service,

Manhattan Sites, New York, has prepared the Final General Management

Plans/Environmental Impact Statements for the park unit. These plans

provide the analysis necessary to determine the alternatives for future

management and use of each of the sites including Castle Clinton

National Monument, Federal Hall and General Grant National Memorials,

and Saint Paul's Church and Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National

Historic Sites, New York and Westchester Counties, New York. In

accordance with section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy

Act of 1969, the National Park Service is required to prepare an

environmental impact statement to assess the impacts of the proposed

action(s). The National Park Service is the responsible federal agency.

The 45-day no-action period following the Environmental Protection

Agency notice of availability of the final Environmental Impact

Statement will end March 31, 1997. At that time, a Record of Decision

will be prepared, and released soon thereafter.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Superintendent, Joseph T. Avery,

Manhattan Sites, National Park Service, 26 Wall Street, New York, NY

10005 (212-825-6990).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Alternatives for future management and use

of each of the sites listed (Castle Clinton National Monument, Federal

Hall and General Grant National Memorials, and Saint Paul's Church and

Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Sites, New York and

Westchester Counties, New York) are presented and analyzed in the final

document. Under each site there is a ``no-action'' alternative that

presents a continuation of existing trends and management, meets the

minimum requirements, and provides a basis to evaluate the other

alternatives. Three alternatives are proposed for Castle Clinton

National Monument which range from continuing existing conditions,

provisions for a new Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island ticketing sales

structure outside of the fort, and one alternative analyzing

preservation of the old fort walls while providing for an auditorium

and seating for the performing arts at the site. At Federal Hall, three

alternatives are proposed which range from continuing existing

management, to preserving and restoring the structure and installing a

visitor information center, to converting the use of Federal Hall

exclusively to the public and for collection storage, with a state-of-

the-art visitor information center and the relocation of offices to

another facility. The proposals for General Grant National Memorial

include three alternatives which ranged from providing for the

rehabilitation, security, and maintenance of the structure and site, to

restoring the structure and site to the original design intent of the

architect and continuing interpretation through handbooks and

occasional living history programs, to preserving the tomb and site as

they are and building a visitor center in the pavilion across Riverside

Drive. At Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site, two alternatives

are proposed which range from continuing the interpretive programs and

existing site management through the cooperators, to changing park

management to the National Park Service with assistance from the

cooperating association and renting a facility for curatorial storage

and preservation. Three alternatives are proposed for Theodore

Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site which include the

continuation of interpretive and site/resource preservation, to

installing a central air-conditioning system and a closet elevator from

the third to fourth floor.

For copies of the Final General Management Plans/Final

Environmental Impact Statements for the Manhattan Sites, New York,

please contact the Superintendent at the above address.

Dated: February 4, 1997.

Joseph T. Avery,

Superintendent, Manhattan Sites.

[FR Doc. 97-3247 Filed 2-10-97; 8:45 am]

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