[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 141 (Thursday, July 23, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39598-39599]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-19640]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Job Corps: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)
for the New Job Corps Center Located Off Granite Road in Maple Heights,
Ohio
AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.
ACTION: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the
New Job Corps Center to be located at the end of Granite Road in Maple
Heights, Ohio.
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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 August 24, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Any comment(s) are to be submitted to Amy 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 Richard
Trigg, Regional Director, Region V (Five), Office of Job Corps, 230
South Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL 60604, (312) 353-1311 (this is not a
toll-free number).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The proposed development site is located approximately one and one
quarter miles (1\1/4\) south of the Maple Heights City Hall and is
located at the end of Granite Road in Maple Heights, Cuyahoga County,
Ohio. The proposed development site is located to the northeast of
Granite Road and southeast of Pennsylvania Avenue. The EA indicates
that the site is on an approximate 24 acre wooded and undeveloped
parcel. The site is located in an urban, light industrial area with
adjacent residential developments within one quarter (\1/4\) of a mile.
The property is currently owned by the Maple Heights Development
Company. The site does not contain any structures, and historical
aerial photographs indicate that the property has been wooded dating
back to 1951.
The proposed Job Corps Center will be designed to accommodate
approximately 430 Job Corps students (380 residential and 50 non-
residential students). The proposed Center will consist of nine
buildings, including dormitories, educational/vocational facilities,
food service facilities, recreational facilities, administrative
offices, storage and support facilities, with a total building area of
114,275 net square feet. 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 proposed
Job Corps Center will be a new source of employment opportunity for
people in the Maple Heights, Ohio 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. There are no ``historically
significant'' buildings on the site and no areas of archaeological
significance. No threatened or endangered species have been located on
the site.
Air quality and noise levels should not be affected by the proposed
development project in the light industrial area in Maple Heights,
Ohio. 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. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency
has indicated that construction of a Job Corps Center at the proposed
site will not require permitting under Section 173 of the Clean Air
Act. The proposed project site is located within the Cleveland-Akron-
Lorain air quality region, which includes several non-attainment areas
for the PM-10 and SO2 National Ambient Air Quality Standards
(NAAQS). The proposed Job Corps Center will not significantly increase
the vehicle traffic in the vicinity, and will not be a significant
source of air pollution.
The proposed project will not have any significant adverse impact
on the surrounding infrastructure, represented by water, sewer and
storm water systems. Water and sewage systems will be provided by the
Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD). These systems are
readily accessible and should be sufficient to accommodate the new Job
Corps Center. All wastewater treatment will be handled by NEORSD's
Southerly Wastewater Treatment Facility. The Southerly plant is
operating under an existing National Pollution Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) permit. Stormwater runoff from parking lots, sidewalks,
and other structures will be managed in accordance with the
requirements of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), and is
not anticipated to adversely impact area water quality.
The proposed project site is located adjacent to an industrial
park, thus electrical power will be easily accessible. The proposed
demands on electrical power are not expected to have a significant
adverse affect on the environment. Electric utilities and natural gas
are provided by Centerior Energy.
Granite Road leads directly into the proposed project site. Granite
Road connects to Lee Road, to the west, which leads to several other
main thoroughfares within the City of Maple Heights. These roads can be
used to access all aspects of the greater Cleveland area. Roadways will
need to be constructed around the new Job Corps Center, but no
significant adverse affects are expected. The traffic patterns will be
monitored to insure a satisfactory movement of vehicles.
No significant adverse affects should be felt by the local medical,
emergency, fire and police facilities. The closest medical facility,
Bedford Medical Center, is located in the City of Bedford,
approximately 1\1/2\ miles to the east of the proposed project site.
The Job Corps Center will also have a small medical and dental facility
on-site for use by the residents as necessary. Emergency, police and
fire services will be provided by the City of Maple Heights, none of
which will be adversely impacted by the Job Corps Center.
The proposed project population will not have a significant adverse
[[Page 39599]]
sociological effect on the Maple Heights community. This area is
characterized by a fairly diverse ethnicity, and offers 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 Cleveland 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 two separate occasions, on
February 1, 1997 and November 22, 1997. Of the eight sites reviewed by
the Office of Job Corps, only the subject property was suitable for
construction of a Job Corps Center.
Due to the inadequate facilities currently occupied by the
Cleveland 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. It should be noted that no
sampling of the soil, water or air was conducted during the preparation
of the EA. The construction of a Job Corps Center on the undeveloped
parcel located at the end of Granite Road in Maple Heights, Ohio, will
not create any significant adverse impacts on the environment; however,
the site is currently zoned as an industrial district.
Dated at Washington, DC, this 17th day of July, 1998.
Timothy F. Sullivan,
Acting Director of Job Corps.
[FR Doc. 98-19640 Filed 7-22-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-30-P
