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Job Corps: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the New Job Corps Center on the Loring AFB in Caribou, ME

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Job Corps: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FON



[Federal Register: November 16, 1995 (Volume 60, Number 221)]
[Notices]               

[Page 57596-57597]

>From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]








DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
 


Job Corps: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) 
for the New Job Corps Center on the Loring AFB in Caribou, ME



AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.



ACTION: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the 
New Job Corps Center on Loring AFB.






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, 
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 the new 
Loring AFB Job Corps Center will have no significant environmental 
impact, and 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 December 18, 1995.



ADDRESSES: Any comment(s) are to be submitted to Amy Knight, Employment 
and Training Administration, Department of Labor, 200 Constitution 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20210, (202)219-5468.



FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Copies of the EA and additional 
information are available to interested parties by contacting Albert 
Glastetter, Director, Region I (One), Office of Job Corps, One Congress 
Street, 11th Floor, Boston, Massachusetts, 02114, (617)565-2167.



SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed site, located in ten existing 
buildings on the Loring AFB, is comprised of approximately 30 acres. 
The site is part of the larger AFB complex which consists of 
approximately 8,317 acres, but which is to be down-sized pursuant to 
findings of the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission. Loring 
AFB has served in its military role since 1917. The proposed site is 
bordered by Texas Road to the north, Georgia Road to the east, Weinman 
Road to the south, and Cupp Road to the west.
    The proposed Job Corps Center is designed to accommodate 392 fulltime 
students with dormitories, educational/vocational facilities, food 
service facilities, medical/dental facilities, recreational facilities, 
administrative offices, storage and support. Approximately 268,759 
gross square feet in the existing buildings will be rehabilitated, with 
the addition of 5,940 gross square feet of new structure. The proposed 
project is designed to be constructed in accordance with the local 
fire, building, and zoning code requirements.
    The site is located in a rural setting with open space extending in 
all directions. To the west, across Cupp Road, there is a substantial 
ten-acre wetland, while to the south there is a large wooded area. 
Outdoor recreational facilities include nearby baseball and softball 
fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, a running track, and walking 
trails.

    The new facilities associated with the Job Corps will make use of 
an existing roadway and infrastructure such as water and sewer lines, 
telephone poles, and stormwater drainage systems. The proposed building 
rehabilitation program will include the proper mitigation of all 
asbestos materials and lead-based paint, where necessary. Underground 
storage tanks and 



[[Page 57597]]

contaminated soils resulting from earlier fuel oil spills will be 
completed by the Air Force prior to Job Corps startup.
    Conversion of this part of Loring AFB to a Job Corps Center would 
be a positive asset to the area in terms of environmental and 
socioeconomic improvements and long-term productivity. With the loss of 
Loring AFB as a significant employer, the City of Caribou will face an 
increased demand by its citizens for employment opportunities. The new 
Job Corps Center will be a new source of such employment opportunity. 
In addition, the Job Corps program, which provides basic education, 
vocational skills training, work experience, counseling, health care 
and related support services, is expected to graduate students ready to 
participate in the local economy and elsewhere.
    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. There are no threatened or endangered species located on 
Loring AFB. Surface water, groundwater, woodlands, and wetlands would 
not be adversely affected because the rehabilitation, construction, and 
operational activities associated with the proposed project do not 
represent any increased significant change from the historical use of 
the site as a residential area with support facilities. The base-wide 
remediation of contamination, currently underway by the U.S. Air Force 
throughout Loring AFB, will minimize impacts from existing sources of 
contamination upon the natural systems and resources.
    Based upon preliminary analyses, no significant levels of radon 
exist on the site. Analytical data describing the Loring AFB surface 
water supply documents that there are no levels of lead present in the 
drinking water. A corrosion protection system in place at the Loring 
AFB water treatment plant will mitigate any excess lead that may occur 
in drinking water supplied to the center. An asbestos assessment of the 
ten-building complex has been completed. Only one location in Building 
5904 warranted repair or abatement of asbestos-containing duct 
insulation. Mitigation of asbestos-containing duct insulation will be 
addressed during rehabilitation. Lead-based paint is believed to exist 
in three buildings built prior to 1978. Mitigation measures will take 
place if the designated use of the building so warrants.
    The proposed project will not have any significant adverse impact 
upon air quality, noise levels, and lighting. Air quality is good in 
the area and the proposed project would not be a source of air 
emissions. Noise levels in the area are consistent with rural/suburban 
areas and, with the exception of the construction period, the proposed 
project will not be a source of additional noise. Finally, street 
lights for the proposed project will be modified in the final design, 
if necessary, to ensure levels of illumination consistent with the 
utilization needs.

    The proposed project will not have any significant adverse impacts 
upon the existing infrastructure represented by water, sewer, and 
stormwater systems. Adequate water is available to the site through the 
Loring AFB water supply system. Stormwater runoff is accommodated by an 
existing sewer system. The separate sanitary sewer collection system is 
in place and is deemed to be adequate. Wastewater treatment will be 
achieved at the nearby Loring AFB wastewater treatment plant on Sawyer 
Road. The treatment plant is operating under an existing NPDES permit 
and has been meeting its discharge limits.
    The proposed site is surrounded by electrical power to its 
boundaries and an adequate distribution system on site. New 
distribution systems would not be required. The proposed demands on 
electric power are not expected to have a significant adverse affect on 
the environment. Similarly, traffic behavior patterns are not expected 
to change as a result of the proposed project. Adequate levels of 
service would be sustained at all intersections on the base and off on 
local access roads, so no significant adverse affects are expected.
    There will be no significant adverse affects upon local medical, 
emergency, fire and police facilities, all of which are located in the 
towns of Limestone, Caribou, Fort Fairfield, and Presque Isle. One Job 
Corps complex building is to be remodeled, so as to include a new 
medical/dental facility to address normal demands. The new Job Corps 
facility will be supported by local medical facilities, including Cary 
Medical Center in Caribou and the complex of regional facilities 
managed from Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle. Emergency, fire, 
and police services will be provided through a cooperative arrangement 
with the towns of Limestone, Fort Fairfield, and Caribou.
    The proposed project population will not have a significant adverse 
sociological effect on the surrounding community, which is 
characterized by a diverse ethnicity, and offers an abundance of 
recreational, educational and cultural opportunities. Similarly, the 
proposed project will not have a significant adverse affect on 
demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the area. Rather, the 
implementation of the Job Corps will help to fill a void created by the 
closure of Loring AFB by providing jobs and educational opportunities 
for local residents.

    The alternatives considered in the preparation of the EA were as 
follows: (1) The ``No Build'' alternative, (2) the ``Alternative 
Sites'' alternative, and (3) the ``Continue as Proposed'' alternative. 
The ``No Build'' alternative is considered inadequate because it would 
require fitting the Job Corps program into an existing building complex 
that is ill-equipped for its intended use and, due to the age of some 
buildings, contains old, out-of-date electrical, mechanical, and HVAC 
systems and potential sources of environmental contamination; e.g., 
asbestos, lead-based paint, contaminated soils. Alternative sites in 
New York City, New York and Camden, New Jersey were considered by the 
Department of Labor for the new Job Corps Center site, but did not meet 
the minimum selection criteria for locating a new Job Corp Center. 
After rehabilitating the ten existing buildings, and constructing the 
one new building, the proposed facilities will be suitable for their 
intended purpose in the Job Corps, will be environmentally safe, and 
will be consistent with current building codes and safety practices.
    Based on the information gathered during the preparation of the EA 
for the Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, 
the Office of Job Corps finds that the location of a Job Corps Center 
on the Loring AFB in Caribou, Maine will not create any significant 
adverse impact on the environment and, therefore, recommends that the 
project continue as proposed. The proposed project is not considered to 
be highly controversial.



    Dated: at Washington, DC, this 6th day of November, 1995.
Mary Silva,

Acting Director of Job Corps.

[FR Doc. 95-28256 Filed 11-15-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-30-M

 
 

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