[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 236 (Monday, December 11, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58218-58219]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-26579]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Draft Finding of No Significant Impact for the Proposed
Rehabilitation or Replacement of Buildings at the Gulfport Job Corps
Center, 3300 20th Street, Gulfport, Mississippi 39501
AGENCY: Office of Job Corps, Employment and Training Administration
(ETA), Labor.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL or Department), ETA, Office of
Job Corps, is issuing a draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)
regarding the proposed rehabilitation or replacement of buildings at
the Gulfport Job Corps Center (JCC) in Gulfport, Mississippi.
DATES: To be ensured for consideration, comments must be submitted in
writing on or before January 10, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Comments can be submitted by email to Marsha Fitzhugh at
[email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marsha Fitzhugh, Division of
Facilities and Asset Management, Office of Job Corps, ETA, U.S.
Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room N-4463,
Washington, DC 20210; Telephone (202) 693-3000 (this is not a toll-free
number).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Introduction
Established in 1964, Job Corps is a national program administered
by ETA in the Department. It is the nation's largest federally-funded,
primarily residential training program for youth ages 16-24. With 125
centers across the country, Job Corps seeks to change lives through
education and job training for in-demand careers. Job Corps serves at-
risk young people who seek to overcome barriers to employment, which
can include poverty, homelessness, or aging out of the foster care
system, by providing them with the academic, career technical, and
employability skills to enter the workforce, enroll in post-secondary
education, pursue apprenticeship opportunities, or enlist in the
military.
The Gulfport JCC opened in 1978 utilizing buildings that were
initially constructed in 1954 as a high school for African-American
students, known as the 33rd Avenue High School. The three original high
school buildings, which are considered eligible for inclusion on the
National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), sustained extensive damage
during Hurricane Katrina. As a result, the Gulfport JCC reopened with
temporary facilities three and a half years after the storm. These
three original buildings have not been rehabilitated.
II. Environmental Assessment and Draft Finding of No Significant Impact
Pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations
(40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] part 1500-08) implementing
procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA),
the DOL, ETA, and Office of Job Corps, in accordance with 29 CFR
11.11(d), give notice that an Environmental Assessment (EA) has been
prepared for the proposed rehabilitation or replacement of buildings at
the Gulfport Job Corps Center (JCC), Gulfport, Mississippi. The EA
evaluated the potential environmental and socioeconomic impacts
associated with the redevelopment of buildings at the Gulfport JCC.
Three action alternatives and the No Action Alternative were evaluated
in the EA. After careful consideration, it was determined that the
Preferred Alternative, to retain the existing street-facing building
fa[ccedil]ades and construct new buildings behind the fa[ccedil]ades,
would best meet the purpose and need without causing significant
environmental impacts. This Preferred Alternative would add
approximately 93,000 gross square feet (GSF) of permanent, functional
space at the Gulfport JCC.
The Preferred Alternative would retain the appearance of the
historic structures by retaining the street-facing fa[ccedil]ades of
Building 1, originally the main high school building, and Building 2,
the gymnasium. New buildings would be constructed behind the
fa[ccedil]ades to provide administration, educational, medical/dental,
and recreation spaces that meet the needs of the Gulfport JCC and Job
Corps program guidelines. Building 5, the cafeteria, would be
demolished and replaced by a new, modern cafeteria, and a new building
would be constructed for vocational training for shop-related trades
and for storage and maintenance. The Preferred Alternative would result
in a modern Job Corps instructional campus that meets the purpose of
and need for the proposed action.
Under the Preferred Alternative, there would be adverse impacts on
historic properties; however, adverse impacts would be resolved through
mitigation. A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between DOL, the Advisory
Council on Historic Preservation, and the City of Gulfport
memorializing the steps necessary to mitigate the adverse effects cause
by the Preferred Alternative for the Gulfport JCC redevelopment project
was executed on September 19, 2017. Mitigation measures include
retaining the street-facing fa[ccedil]ades of Buildings 1 and 2, with
new buildings being constructed behind the fa[ccedil]ades; preparation
of Historic American Building Survey (HABS) Level II, which would
record the appearance and history of the buildings to be filed with the
National Park Service for inclusion in the Library of Congress' HABS
collection; an exhibit near the entrance to the new Main Building to
preserve the memory of the 33rd Avenue High School and honor its
alumni; and renaming the Gulfport JCC to memorialize the 33rd Avenue
High School. Because adverse impacts on cultural resources would be
resolved through mitigation, the Preferred Alternative would not result
in significant impacts on cultural resources.
To comply with the CEQ requirement for ``early and meaningful
public participation,'' the public was invited to meetings and
encouraged to provide input throughout the process of developing the
EA. A public scoping meeting was held on June 14, 2016, in Gulfport, to
discuss the proposed project. Public comments received at the meeting
were considered in the preparation of the EA. The Draft EA was provided
to the public for a 30-day review and comment period. The availability
of the EA for review was announced through a news release published in
the Sun Herald on November 16, 2016, and a Federal
[[Page 58219]]
Register notice published on November 17, 2016. Additionally, the EA
was available at the Gulfport Public Library and posted on the Job
Corps Web site, and copies of the EA were mailed to key stakeholders.
Comments received were addressed as part of the Section 106
consultation and incorporated into the MOA and the Final EA. A second
public meeting was held on February 15, 2017, in the Gulfport City
Council Chambers to present information on the Section 106
consultation. Forty-three citizens attended the meeting. Comments
received were incorporated into the MOA.
The Draft Final EA and Draft FONSI will be available for public
review and comment for a period of 30 days at the Gulfport Public
Library, 1708 25th Avenue, Gulfport, MS 39501, and at http://www.jobcorps.gov/home.aspx.
Nancy M. Rooney,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training.
[FR Doc. 2017-26579 Filed 12-8-17; 8:45 am]
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