Army releases NEPA draft Environmental Assessment on proposed sites for Middletown Armed Forces Reserve Center

LOUISVILLE, KY – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released the National Environmental Policy Act Draft Environmental Assessment for the proposed Middletown Armed Forces Reserve Center for a 30-day comment period.

 

Three reasonable alternative sites were identified and evaluated in addition to the No Action Alternative:  the Bysiewicz Industrial Subdivision (Liberty Park), Cucia Park, and Millennium Industrial Park (Ken Dooley Drive), all located in Middletown’s Westfield section. Cucia Park is the U.S. Army’s Preferred Alternative site.

 

The EA and draft FNSI are available for review at the Middletown Public Library on the World Wide Web at:  http://www.hqda.army.mil/acsim/brac/env_ea_review.htm .  

 

Copies of the EA can also be viewed at the following local library:

Russell Library

123 Broad Street

Middletown, CT 06457

 

Comments on the EA and Draft FNSI should be submitted during the 30-day public comment period via mail, fax, or electronic mail to the following:

 

Craig Kelley

BRAC Environment Coordinator

99th Regional Support Command (East)

11 Saratoga Boulevard

Devens, MA 01432

(978) 796-2606

 

The new campus is programmed to receive an Armed Forces Reserve Center, vehicle maintenance shop and a unit storage facility. Citizen Soldiers will use this campus for classroom training for distance learning and computer simulation, Human Resource and administration offices and vehicle maintenance.

 

 

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Army to release NEPA draft Environmental Assessment on proposed sites for Middletown AFRC: Cucia Park listed as the preferred site.

LOUISVILLE, KY – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is expected to release the National Environmental Policy Act Draft Environmental Assessment for the proposed Middletown Armed Forces Reserve Center for a 30-day comment period by the end of April.

When released, the draft EA will be available at the Middletown Public Library or online for download from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers site at http://lrlcoepao.wordpress.com or via a link from the Corps Middletown Armed Forces website at http://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/poi/default.asp?mycategory=309.

After release, the Army invites anyone interested in the draft EA to review the document and to send any comments on the document to the contact information in the report.

The draft EA includes the environmental studies and findings on the following sites:

• Bysiewicz Industrial Park

o Description: This site is on Middle Street and privately owned. This industrial site contains approximately 35 acres. The site has city water, sewer and storm water utilities. Gas and electrical not at the site currently but are expected.

• Cucia Park

o Description: Smith Road at Industrial Road. The site is City owned. This site, submitted by the City of Middletown, is owned by the city. The site contains approximately 40 acres and is zoned industrial.

• Ken Dooley/Boardman Lane

o Description: Site submitted by developers and landowner. The site contains 37 acres in the Millennium Industrial Park on Ken Dooley Road and approximately 88 acres on the Boardman Lane site. Both sites are industrially zoned.

 
The Site Selection Report lists the Cucia Park sited as the preferred sited, however final site selection will not be made until the completion of the NEPA process.

The new campus is programmed to receive an Armed Forces Reserve Center, vehicle maintenance shop and a unit storage facility. Citizen Soldiers will use this campus for classroom training for distance learning and computer simulation, Human Resource and administration offices and vehicle maintenance.

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Mile Lane removed from list

Proposed sites not ranked by Army

 

LOUISVILLE, KY – The U.S. Army decided to not rank the sites for the proposed Middletown Armed Forces Reserve Center to ensure the sites are evaluated fully under the National Environmental Policy Act. In addition, the Army removed the former Mile Lane Reserve Center site from the list of viable sites.

 

The following sites will continue to be reviewed in the NEPA process:

 

·        Cucia Park

o       Description: Smith Road at Industrial Road. The site is City owned. This site, submitted by the City of Middletown, is owned by the city. The site contains approximately 40 acres and is zoned industrial. 

·        Bysiewicz Industrial Park

o       Description: This site is on Middle Street and privately owned. This industrial site contains approximately 35 acres.

·        Ken Dooley/Boardman Lane

o       Description: Site submitted by developers and landowner. The site contains 37 acres in the Millennium Industrial Park on Ken Dooley Road and approximately 88 acres on the Boardman Lane site. Both sites are industrially zoned. 

 

The Mile Lane site has been removed from further consideration. The Army does not have an adequate basis under Base Realignment and Closure authority to retain the property under the same functional reserve mission. Mile Lane is currently surplused and scheduled for disposal to the community. Therefore, Mile Lane will not be included in the NEPA analysis or future site selection consideration.

 

The Army team is continuing the NEPA process on the three above mentioned sites which will result in a draft environmental assessment. Once the draft is complete, it will be available for a 30-day public comment period.  The Army tentatively expects the release of the NEPA Environmental Assessment in late March or early April for public review.

 

“No decision on a specific site has been made and will not be made until the completion and issuance of the final environmental studies,” said Col. Keith A. Landry, District Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville.  “I am confident, if we maintain the integrity of the process, the Army will make the right decision for the Citizen Soldiers of Connecticut, the Army and for the city of Middletown.”

 

 

For information, contact Todd Hornback at 502-315-6768 or Diane McCartin at 502-315-6853 or email at todd.j.hornback@usace.army.mil or diane.e.mccartin@usace.army.mil. 

 

The new campus is programmed to receive an Armed Forces Reserve Center, vehicle maintenance shop and a unit storage facility. Citizen Soldiers will use this campus for classroom training for distance learning and computer simulation, Human Resource and administration offices and vehicle maintenance.

Letter to the Editor of the Middletown Press

Letter to the Editor

 

I want to thank the Middletown residents, the City Council members and the Mayor’s Advisory Panel for their comments on the four sites proposed for the new Middletown Armed Forces Reserve Center.

 

The September 30 public meeting gave us additional information to be incorporated into the site selection process. These comments will be included with the comments from emails and the Corps blog and sent to the Army for consideration when ranking the four sites. In addition, the comments will be included and addressed in the National Environmental Policy Act report.

 

As the NEPA environmental assessment continues, I expect the Army to release the “Site Rankings” in November. Of course, a final site will not be selected until after the NEPA requirements are complete – including the 30-day public comment period. I will again ask for your assistance in commenting on this report. The report will take several months to complete to assure a thorough and in-depth investigation.

 

I apologize for not being able to attend all the public meetings due to prior commitments. I look forward to returning to Middletown in the near future to release the Army’s ranking of the four proposed sites.

 

Thanks again to the Middletown community for all the comments and the input. With the information your community has provided, the Army can move forward in the site selection and environmental investigation process with a better understanding of the community’s concerns and desires.

 

Sincerely,

 

Keith A. Landry, PhD, P.E.

Colonel, Corps of Engineers

Louisville District

Commander

Army to host public meeting Sept. 30 to hear comments on four proposed sites

LOUISVILLE, KY – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will host a public meeting Sept. 30 at the Middletown Council Chambers at 7 p.m. to hear comments on the four proposed sites for the Middletown Armed Forces Reserve Center.The site selection committee, comprised of members from the Mayor’s Advisory Board, the Reserve, the National Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, looked at the feasibility of the proposed sites to house the Armed Forces Reserve Center.

The suggested sites that have been recommended by the committee to move forward (in alphabetical order) are:

• Bysiewicz Industrial Park

o  Description: This site is on Middle Street and privately owned. This industrial site contains approximately 35 acres.

• Cucia Park

o  Description: Smith Road at Industrial Road. The site is City owned. This site, submitted by the City of Middletown, is owned by the city. The site contains approximately 40 acres and is zoned industrial.

• Ken Dooley/Boardman Lane

o  Description: Site submitted by developers and landowner. The site contains 37 acres in the Millennium Industrial Park on Ken Dooley Road and approximately 88 acres on the Boardman Lane site. Both sites are industrially zoned.

• Mile Lane

o  Description: This site is the former Middletown Reserve Center. The government-owned  site has approximately 25 acres.Comments are welcomed from the community via email, telephone or blog.

The sites are listed on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers blog which can be accessed directly at
http://lrlcoepao.wordpress.com or via a link from the Corps Middletown Armed Forces website at http://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/poi/default.asp?mycategory=309.

Comments will also be accepted via telephone to Todd Hornback at 502-315-6768 or Diane McCartin at 502-315-6853 or email at todd.j.hornback@usace.army.mil or diane.e.mccartin@usace.army.mil.

Army releases four proposed sites for the Middletown Armed Forces Reserve Center

Community comments requested  

LOUISVILLE, KY – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers release four proposed sites for the Middletown Armed Forces Reserve Center during a public meeting Sept. 17 in Middletown.

After two days of discussions, the site selection committee which comprised members from the Mayor’s Advisory Board, the Reserve, the National Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, looked at the feasibility of proposed sites to house the Armed Forces Reserve Center .

The suggested sites that have been recommended by the committee to move forward (in alphabetical order) are:

• Bysiewicz Industrial Park
  Description: This site is on Middle Street and privately owned. This industrial site contains approximately 35 acres. The site has city water, sewer and storm water utilities. Gas and electrical not at the site currently but are expected.
• Cucia Park
  Description: Smith Road at Industrial Road. The site is City owned. This site, submitted by the City of Middletown, is owned by the city. The site contains approximately 40 acres and is zoned industrial.
• Ken Dooley/Boardman Lane
  Description: Site submitted by developers and landowner. The site contains 37 acres in the Millennium Industrial Park on Ken Dooley Road and approximately 88 acres on the Boardman Lane site. Both sites are industrially zoned.
• Mile Lane
  Description: This site is the former Middletown Reserve Center. The site is government owned and has approximately 25 acres.

The Army requested site suggestions from the community at the public meeting Aug. 27. Submitted sites were required to meet these criteria:

• In the City of Middletown to meet Base Realignment and Closure Law
• Adequate Build-able Acreage
  • Within budget/schedule
• Environmental Constraints
• Available/Willing seller

Comments are welcomed from the community via email, telephone or blog. The sites are listed on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers blog which can be accessed directly at http://lrlcoepao.wordpress.com or via a link from the Corps Middletown Armed Forces website at http://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/poi/default.asp?mycategory=309.

Comments will also be accepted via telephone Todd Hornback at 502-315-6768 or Diane McCartin at 502-315-6853 or email at todd.j.hornback@usace.army.mil or diane.e.mccartin@usace.army.mil.

“We want to hear community concerns and comments on these sites,” said Diane McCartin, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District project manager.

In addition, the presentation is available at the blog or Corps website.

What’s next?

Site Identification Schedule:

Sept. 29 (Specific date to be determined) – Public meeting to receive comments on the four sites
Sept. 30 (Specific date to be determined) – Submit list of sites with public comments to the Army Reserve
Oct. 1 – Convene Site Identification Meeting to list sites in order of preference
Oct. 17 – Complete Draft Site Identification Report and forward for approval
Oct. 30 – List of viable sites approved, subject to NEPA review

“The Army must identify potential sites by October to stay on track. The project is scheduled to be ready in March 2011 but must be completed by September 2011 or the BRAC funds disappear,” McCartin said. “We may be on a fast track with the project, but we must also follow all required laws while we move forward with the project.”

The new campus is programmed to receive an Armed Forces Reserve Center, vehicle maintenance shop and a unit storage facility. Citizen Soldiers will use this campus for classroom training for distance learning and computer simulation, Human Resource and administration offices and vehicle maintenance.

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Armed Forces Reserve Center public meeting set for September 17

LOUISVILLE, KY – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will host a public meeting to discuss site suggestions from the Middletown community Sept. 17 at 7:00 p.m. at Mercy High School.

 

“This public meeting will discuss suggested sites from community members and city officials,” said Diane McCartin, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District project manager. “We want to hear community concerns and comments on these sites.”

 

The public meeting will be held at Mercy High School at 1740 Randolph Road in Middletown. This is the same location as the Aug. 27 public meeting.

 

With the Connecticut Governor’s removal of the National Guard engineering unit from the project, the Reserve analyzed how this reduction reduced the project footprint. The acreage required has reduced the project from approximately 45 to 25 acres.

 

The Army is requesting site comments on the suggestions from community members, city officials and state agencies. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website includes a blog for comments on the site suggestions for the project.

 

Sites for the first phase of the investigation had to meet the following criteria:

• Is the site within the Middletown city limits?
• Is the site large enough for the project?
• Is it available? Is it for sale?

 

Because this is a Base Realignment and Closure project, the project must be completed by September 2011. The Army is asking community members to recommend sites and comment by Sept. 29.

 

 “The Army must identify potential sites by October to stay on track. The project is scheduled to be ready in March 2011 but must be completed by September 2011 or the BRAC funds disappear,” McCartin said. “We may be on a fast track with the project, but we must also follow all required laws while we move forward with the project.”

 

The new campus is programmed to receive an Armed Forces Reserve Center, vehicle maintenance shop and a unit storage facility. Citizen Soldiers will use this campus for classroom training for distance learning and computer simulation, Human Resource and administration offices and vehicle maintenance.

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Note:  You can provide your comments on selected sites by clicking here or the link “Comments on Suggested Sites” to the right.

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