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

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

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] BILLING CODE 4510-30-P