E7-11714. Job Corps: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Proposed Job Corps Center To Be Located North of Roosevelt Highway Between Washington Road and Interstate 285 in College Park, GA

AGENCY:

Office of the Secretary (OSEC), Department of Labor.

ACTION:

Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Proposed Job Corps Center to be located north of Roosevelt Highway between Washington Road and Interstate 285 in College Park, Georgia.

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, Office of the Secretary (OSEC), in accordance with 29 CFR 11.11(d), gives notice that an Environmental Assessment (EA) has been prepared for a proposed new Job Corps Center to be located in College Park, Georgia, and that the proposed plan 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 July 18, 2007.

ADDRESSES:

Any comment(s) are to be submitted to Michael F. O'Malley, Office of the Secretary (OSEC), Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N-4460, Washington, DC 20210, [phone] (this is not a toll-free number).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Copies of the EA are available to interested parties by contacting Michael F. O'Malley, Architect, Unit Chief of Facilities, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Secretary (OSEC), 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N-4460, Washington, DC 20210, [phone] (this is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This Environmental Assessment (EA) summary addresses the proposed construction of a new Job Corps Center near College Park, Georgia. The site for the proposed Job Corps Center is comprised of four parcels of land owned by VFH Captive Insurance Company which total approximately 25.4 acres. The property is currently undeveloped and wooded with the exception of three abandoned residential properties and an abandoned automotive repair garage.

The new center will require construction of ten (10) buildings including eight (8) single-story buildings and two (2) two-story buildings. The proposed Job Corps center will provide housing, training, and support services for approximately 515 students. The current facility utilization plan includes include a vocational-educational building, cafeteria/culinary arts building, child development center, recreation building, medical/dental building, maintenance/warehouse building, administration offices, and new dormitories.

The construction of the Job Corps Center on this proposed site 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 new source of employment opportunity for people in the Atlanta Metropolitan area. The Job Corps program provides basic education, vocational skills training, work experience, counseling, health care and related support services. 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. No state or federal threatened or endangered species (proposed or listed) have been identified on the subject property.

The Job Corps Center construction will not affect any existing historic structures, as there are no historic or archeologically sensitive areas on the proposed property parcel.

Air quality and noise levels should not be affected by the proposed development project. Due to the nature of the proposed project, it would not be a significant 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 regulations.

The proposed Job Corps Center is not expected to significantly increase the vehicle traffic in the vicinity, since many of the Job Corps Center residents will either live at the Job Corps Center or use public transportation. While some Job Corps Center students and staff may use personal vehicles, their number would not result in a significant increase in vehicular traffic in the area. Access is planned from Roosevelt Highway. Road improvements and/or installation of signals to facilitate site ingress/egress do not appear necessary. Public transportation will be provided by Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority which provides bus and shuttle routes throughout Metropolitan Atlanta. Bus Route 88 travels along Washington Road which bounds the west side of the proposed Job Corp Center site. There are a number of connecting bus routes within walking distance of the site.

The proposed project will not have any significant adverse impact on the surrounding water, sewer, and storm water management infrastructure. The new buildings to be constructed for the proposed Job Corps Center will be tied in to the existing City of Atlanta Watershed Management system. The new buildings to be constructed for the proposed Job Corps Center will also be tied in to the existing Fulton County wastewater treatment system.

Georgia Power would provide the electricity for the site. This is not expected to create any significant impact to the regional utility infrastructure.

No significant adverse affects to local medical, emergency, fire, and police services are anticipated. The primary medical provider located closest to the proposed Job Corps parcel is South Fulton Medical Center, approximately 6 miles from the proposed Job Corps Center. Nevertheless, the Job Corps center will have a small medical and dental facility as part of the campus for use by the residents, as necessary for providing a ward for sick students with the flu or small non-emergency incapacities. Security services at the Job Corps will be provided by the center's security staff. Law enforcement services are provided by the Fulton County Police Department, located approximately 2.3 miles from the proposed project site. Local fire stations are provided by the Fulton County Fire Department. The fire department has two stations which operate 24 hours a day near the proposed site. Both stations are less than 10 minutes away and will provide all of the necessary fire protection for the center in the near future.

The proposed project will not have a significant adverse sociological effect on the surrounding community. Similarly, the proposed project will not have a significant adverse effect on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the area.

The alternatives considered in the preparation of this FONSI were as follows: (1) No Action; and (2) Continue Project as Proposed. The No Action alternative was not selected. The U.S. Department of Labor's goal of improving the Job Corps Program by improving the learning environment at Job Corps Centers would not be met under this alternative. Due to the suitability of the proposed site for establishment of a new Job Corps Center, and the absence of any identified significant adverse environmental impacts from locating a Job Corps Center on the subject property, the “Continue Project 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 the Job Corps Center at the Roosevelt Highway between Washington Road and Interstate 285 in College Park, Georgia will not create any significant adverse impacts on the environment.

Dated: June 6, 2007.

Esther R. Johnson,

National Director of Job Corps.