Job Corps: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the New Job Corps Center Located Off Walgreen Road in Jacksonville, FL

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

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

for the New Job Corps Center Located Off Walgreen Road in Jacksonville,

FL

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 Walgreen Road in

Jacksonville, Florida.

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

DATES: Comments must be submitted by May 12, 1999.

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

Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor, 200

Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N-4659, Washington, DC 20210, (202) 219-

5468 ext. 103 (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 Melvin R.

Collins, Regional Director, Region IV (Four), Office of Job Corps, 61

Forsyth Street, Atlanta, GA 30303, (404) 562-2382 (this is not a toll-

free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The proposed development site is located approximately 2.9 miles

northeast of the Jacksonville City Hall and is located off of Walgreen

Road in Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida. The EA indicates that the

site is located within an approximate 40-acre wooded and undeveloped

parcel. The subject property has undeveloped parcels of land as well as

land developed with commercial, industrial, and residential properties

in the vicinity (one eighth mile).

The property is currently owned by JARU Inc., Mr. Lawrence and

Linda DuBow, and Mr. Leonard Setzer. The site does not contain any

structures, and historical aerial photographs indicate that the

property has been wooded dating back to 1951, with the exception of a

small residential structure that was historically found in the

northeast corner of the subject property. The structure is no longer

standing, but a portion of the foundation is still standing.

The proposed Jacksonville Job Corps Center will be a totally new

facility utilizing a campus setting. The new Job Corps Center will

replace the existing Job Corps facility currently located at 205 West

Third Street in Jacksonville, Florida. The new facility will consist of

multiple buildings which will support 272 Resident Students and 28 Non-

resident Students. The new facility will consist of no fewer than eight

buildings, including dormitories, vocational shops, maintenance and

warehouse, cafeteria, physical fitness center, administration and

support facilities, and classroom facilities. There will be one

dormitory building for males and one dormitory building for females,

with a capacity of 136 students each. 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 151,500 square feet,

not including proposed outdoor recreation areas. The proposed project

will be constructed in accordance with local fire and building code

requirements.

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

construction of the proposed Job Corps Center will provide employment

opportunities for Jacksonville, Florida area residents. The Job Corps

program provides basic education, vocational skills training, work

experience, counseling, health care and related support services for

young adults; the 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 systems or resources. All construction or development

activities that will possibly impact jurisdictional wetland areas will

be conducted in compliance with federal and state requirements. There

are no historically significant buildings on the site, and no areas of

archaeological significance. No state or federal threatened or

endangered species (proposed or listed) have been located on the

subject property.

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

development project in the light industrial area in Jacksonville,

Florida. Due to the nature of the proposed project, it would not be a

source of air pollutants or additional noise, except possibly during

construction of the facility. All construction activities will be

conducted in accordance with applicable noise and air pollution

regulations, and all pollution sources will be permitted in accordance

with applicable pollution control requirements. The proposed Job Corps

Center will not significantly increase the vehicle traffic in the

vicinity.

The proposed project will not have any significant adverse impact

on the surrounding water, sewer, and storm water management

infrastructure. Water and sewage service for the new facility will be

provided by the Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA). These utility

systems are readily accessible and have sufficient capacity to

accommodate the new Job Corps Center. All wastewater from the center

will be treated at JEA's Main Street wastewater treatment plant. All

drinking water will be provided by the JEA's Buckman water treatment

plant, which is the municipal water supply for the surrounding area.

Drinking water for the Buckman plant is obtained from deep wells into

the Florida Aquifer. Storm water runoff from parking lots, sidewalks,

and other structures will be managed in accordance with the

requirements of the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD),

and storm water runoff is not anticipated to adversely impact area

surface water quality.

The City of Jacksonville, Office of Solid Waste and Resource

Management, operates its own landfill (Trail Ridge Landfill). Municipal

solid waste is collected weekly by the city. The estimated life

remaining at the landfill is 21 years, based on recent implementation

of a recycling program. Waste disposal at the new Job Corps Center will

be provided by either the Office of Solid Waste and Resource

Management, or one of several waste disposal contractors currently

servicing the community. The construction and

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relocation of the existing Job Corps Center to this new site is not

expected to increase demand for space at the Trail Ridge Landfill.

JEA provides electrical service to the project site. Natural gas is

provided by Florida Gas Transmission Company, and telephone service is

provided by BellSouth. All of these utilities have distribution lines

in the vicinity which have sufficient capacity to handle the increased

service demand created by the new Job Corps Center. The increased

demand for utility services is not expected to have a significant

adverse affect on the environment.

Walgreen Road leads directly to the proposed project site but not

onto the subject property. Walgreen Road connects to Golfair Road, to

the south, which leads to several other main thoroughfares within the

City of Jacksonville and is part of the Jacksonville Transit Authority

route. These services can be used to access all aspects of the greater

Jacksonville area. Roadways will need to be constructed on the new Job

Corps Center project site, but no significant adverse affects are

expected.

No significant adverse affects should be felt by the local medical,

emergency, fire and police facilities. There are several primary

providers of medical services in the Jacksonville area. The primary

medical provider located closest to the subject property is the

Methodist Medical Center. There are also private medical facilities

located in the Jacksonville area. The Job Corps Center will also have a

small medical and dental facility on-site for use by the residents as

necessary.

Security services at the Jacksonville 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. It is not anticipated that

the Job Corps Center will need additional security support from the

community. Police services are provided by the Jacksonville Police

Department, the Duval County Sheriff's Office, and the Florida State

Police. The Jacksonville Police substation serving the proposed subject

property is the Zone 1, Substation Norwood, which is located at the

Gateway Shopping Plaza. No police services will be adversely impacted

by proposed Job Corps Center.

The City of Jacksonville will provide fire and emergency response

to the project site. The closest station to the project site is Station

# 2 located at 4th and North Main Street, which is approximately four

blocks from the project site. Backup assistance will be from the

Station # 1 at 611 Liberty Street. The Jacksonville Fire Department is

a paid, professional fire-fighting organization providing 24-hour

service. In addition, the Jacksonville area utilizes the 911 emergency

call system for all emergencies, including fire and police. All fire

and emergency services in the area are adequate for the project.

The proposed project population will not have a significant adverse

sociological effect on the City of Jacksonville community. This 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 FONSI 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 current Jacksonville Job Corps Center is located

in a run-down facility that is inadequate to meet the educational,

residential, and recreational needs of the staff, faculty, and students

at the Center. The ``Alternate Site'' alternative was not selected. The

Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration solicited

proposals for relocation properties on February 8, 1998, and received

proposals for five properties in Jacksonville, Florida. Of the five

proposed sites evaluated by the Department of Labor, Employment and

Training Administration, only the subject property on Walgreen Road was

determined to be suitable for construction of a Job Corps Center.

Due to the inadequate facilities currently occupied by the

Jacksonville Job Corps Center, 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 planned construction

of a Job Corps Center on the undeveloped parcel located off of Walgreen

Road in Jacksonville, Florida, will not create any significant adverse

impacts on the environment.

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

Mary Silva,

Director of Job Corps.

[FR Doc. 99-9029 Filed 4-9-99; 8:45 am]

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