[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 SO<INF>2</INF> 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