Job Corps: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the New Job Corps Center Located off of Overlook Terrace within the Charter Oak Business Park in Hartford, CT

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

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

for the New Job Corps Center Located off of Overlook Terrace within the

Charter Oak Business Park in Hartford, CT

AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.

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

New Job Corps Center to be located off of Overlook Terrace within the

Charter Oak Business Park in Hartford, Connecticut.

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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

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for public review and comment for a period of 30 days.

DATES: Comments must be submitted by November 15, 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 Marcus

Gray, Regional Director, Region I (One) Office of Job Corps, JFK

Federal Building, Room E-350, Boston, MA 02203, (617) 565-2179 (this is

not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The subject property is within the Charter

Oak Business Park in Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut. The

subject property can be accessed via Overlook Terrace, a paved roadway.

The EA indicates the subject property consists of an approximately 12-

acre parcel of land, identified by the Hartford County Property

Identification Number 0299, located in Map 105, Block 002, Lot 001. The

subject property is undeveloped, recently cleared land (former public

housing). The vicinity (one eight mile) around the subject property has

undeveloped parcels (demolished public housing) of land as well as land

developed with commercial, industrial, and residential properties.

The proposed site of the Hartford Job Corps Center is located in an

area characterized by a suburban setting southwest of downtown

Hartford. The site lies on the former location of the Charter Oak

Terrace public housing project, which was built in 1941-1942. The

public housing project has recently been demolished. The site is

currently undeveloped and consists of sparsely scattered evergreen and

deciduous clusters.

The proposed Hartford Job Corps Center will be a totally new

facility utilizing a campus setting. The facility will consist of

several buildings which will support 200 Non-resident Students.

Classroom space will be provided in an education building. There will

also be a vocational education building, a cafeteria/culinary arts

building, a recreation building, an administration and medical/dental

building, and a maintenance/warehouse building. The gross area of the

facility will be 60,160 square feet (This square footage does not

include the proposed outdoor recreation areas). The developed site will

be approximately twelve (12) acres of land purchased by the Department

of Labor from the State of Connecticut.

The construction of the Job Corps Center on this undeveloped parcel

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

socioeconomic improvements, and long-term productivity. The proposed

Job Corps Center will be a source of employment opportunity for people

in the Hartford, Connecticut 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 system or resource. Construction and development

activities will not impact jurisdictional wetlands. There are no

``historically significant'' buildings on the site and no areas of

archaeological significance. No state or federal, proposed or listed,

threatened or endangered species have been located on the subject

property.

Air quality and noise levels should not be affected by the proposed

development project in Hartford, Connecticut., except possibly

temporarily during construction of the facility. If air and noise

pollution permits are required, all pollution sources will be permitted

in compliance 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 infrastructure, represented by water, sanitary

sewer, and storm water systems. The Metropolitan District Committee

will provide a new eight-inch water main. The new water main will have

a flow/pressure of 100 pounds per square inch (psi). The new water main

and distribution systems will be designed to meet the needs of the Job

Corps Facility and future developments that may arise in the vicinity.

The new southwest sanitary sewer interceptor (57-inch gravity sewer

line) lies east of the site and will provide sewer service for the

proposed Job Corps Center. This line continues approximately two miles

north until it reaches the Pope Park Highway #4 siphon structure. At

this point, the line merges with the Jefferson Street interceptor (54-

inch gravity sewer line). This line merges with the Connecticut River

interceptor (78-inch gravity sewer line) and continues to the Hartford

Water Pollution Control Plant. The Hartford Water Pollution Control

Plant has sufficient excess capacity to handle the wastewater flow from

the proposed center.

The capacity of the existing storm drainage distribution system at

the site is considered adequate for the proposed use. There are no

retention/detention requirements for this property, and there are

adequate storm water outfalls. No impact to downstream properties or

surface waters is expected from storm water run-off from this site.

Storm water runoff from parking lots, sidewalks, and other structures

on the proposed Job Corps Center will be managed in accordance with the

requirements of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection

(CDEP), Bureau of Water Management.

The City of Hartford Resource Recovery Authority operates the

Hartford Landfill. The estimated life remaining at the landfill is 3-5

years for by-pass waste, and 10-12 years for ash from the waste energy

plant. The Resource Recovery Authority operates the waste energy plant

to reduce solid waste entering the landfill. The City of Hartford

collects residential solid waste, and private transporters collect

commercial solid waste. All solid waste generated during construction

and operation of the center will be disposed of in accordance with

applicable waste management regulations.

Connecticut Light and Power provides electric service services to

the project area. Natural gas is provided to the area by Connecticut

Natural Gas, and telephone service is provided by Southern New England

Telephone. All of the utilities have facilities and infrastructure

which are adequate to provide the required service. The proposed

increased demand on the building utilities is not expected to have a

significant adverse affect on the environment.

The Hartford area has a variety of transportation resources. Five

interstate highways, U.S. Interstate-84, U.S. Interstate-91, U.S.

Interstate-2, I-3 and U.S. Interstate-5; several major federal routes;

and a system of state highways serve the Hartford area. Passenger rail

service is provided by Amtrak, which has a station located

approximately 3-miles from the subject property at Church Street and

Union Street. Commercial air service is found at Rentschler Airport,

which is approximately 4.5 miles from the subject property. The

Connecticut Transit Authority (CTA) operates a bus system providing

public transportation in Hartford. Daily service is provided on one of

the routes running along Flatbush

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Avenue and Newfield Avenue to downtown Hartford. The nearest boarding

point is on Flatbush Avenue approximately 800 feet from the subject

property. The proposed project will have no significant adverse impacts

on transportation services in the community.

There will be no significant increase in demand for local medical,

emergency, fire and police services from the proposed project. The

primary care facility located closest to the subject property is the

St. Francis Memorial Hospital. There are also private medical

facilities located throughout the Hartford area. Security services at

the Hartford Job Corps will be provided by the center's staff, with two

personnel on the day shift, three on evening shift, and two on the

night shift. Police services to the proposed subject property will be

provided by the Hartford Police Department, which is located

approximately six (6) miles from the subject property. The state police

assist the city police and county sheriff as necessary.

The City of Hartford will provide fire protection. The closest fire

station to the project site is the Hartford Fire Department Station

located at Pearl Street, which is approximately 0.25 miles from the

project site. Backup assistance will be provided by the fire station at

611 Liberty Street. The Hartford Fire Department is a full time

emergency response agency providing 24-hour service. The Hartford area

utilizes the 911 emergency call system for all emergencies including

fire and police. All emergency services in the area are adequate to

meet the needs of the proposed Job Corps Center.

The proposed project will not have a significant adverse

sociological effect on the City of Hartford community. The area is

characterized by a fairly diverse ethnicity, and offers numerous

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 this EA 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. The ``Alternate Site'' alternative was not selected. The

U. S. Department of Labor solicited proposals for new Job Corps Center

sites on March 10, 1998, and received five proposals. Of the five site

proposals, the only site within the State of Connecticut was the

subject property on Overlook Terrace. Due to the suburban location, the

lack of alternative construction sites, and the absence of any

identified adverse environmental impacts from locating a Job Corps

Center at 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 a Job

Corps Center on the undeveloped parcel located off of Overlook Terrace

within the Charter Oak Business Park in Hartford, Connecticut, will not

create any significant adverse impacts on the environment.

Dated at Washington, DC, this 6th day of October, 1999.

Mary Silva,

Director of Job Corps.

[FR Doc. 99-26761 Filed 10-13-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510-30-P