draft final environmental assessment camp smith access control alteration and rehabilitation milcon

501 Pages·2015·20.29 MB·English

by  Kriss, Rebecca

DRAFT FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
CAMP SMITH ACCESS CONTROL ALTERATION
AND REHABILITATION
MILCON: 361103 ACCESS CONTROL BUILDING
August 2015

NEW YORK ARMY NATIONAL GUARD
DIVISION OF MILITARY AND NAVAL AFFAIRS
LATHAM, NEW YORK
August 2015

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ORGANIZATION

This Environmental Assessment (EA) evaluates the potential environmental, socioeconomic, and cultural
effects of the New York Army National Guard’s (NYARNG’s) proposed construction of a permanent access
control point (ACP) with an approximately 1,680 square foot (sf) control building (without visitor center) and
approximately 2,950 sf of overhead cover to meet current Army and National Guard regulations and design
guidelines. The project is located at the entrance of the Camp Smith Training Site in the Town of Cortlandt,
New York, to meet current Army standards for safety, security, and traffic flow.

As required by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA; 42 USC 4321 et seq.), the Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA (40 CFR 1500-
1508), and 32 CFR Part 651 (Environmental Analysis of Army Actions, Final Rule), the potential effects of
the Proposed Action are analyzed. This EA will facilitate the decision-making process by the NYARNG and
the National Guard Bureau (NGB) regarding the Proposed Action and its considered alternatives, and is organized
as follows:

 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Describes the Proposed Action and the No Action Alternative; summarizes
environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic consequences; and compares potential effects associated with
the No Action Alternative.

 SECTION 1 PURPOSE, NEED, AND SCOPE: Summarizes the purpose of and need for the Proposed
Action, provides relevant background information, and describes the scope of the EA.

 SECTION 2 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ACTION & ALTERNATIVES: Describes the
Proposed Action and presents screening alternatives for implementing the Proposed Action that were
considered and eliminated from further evaluation, including applied screening criteria, as well as a brief
explanation of the rationale for eliminating these alternatives.

 SECTION 3 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT: Describes relevant components of the existing
environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic setting (within the Region of Influence [ROI]) of the
Proposed Action).

 SECTION 4 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES: Identifies individual and cumulative potential
environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic effects of implementing the considered alternatives; and
identifies proposed mitigation and management measures, as and where appropriate.

 SECTION 5 COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVES AND CONCLUSIONS: Compares the
environmental effects of the Proposed Action and the No Action alternative and summarizes the significance
of potential individual and cumulative effects from these alternatives.

 SECTION 6 REFERENCES: Provides bibliographical information for cited sources.

 SECTION 7 LIST OF PREPARERS: Identifies document preparers and their areas of expertise.

 SECTION 8 AGENCIES AND INDIVIDUALS CONSULTED: Lists agencies and individuals consulted
during preparation of this EA.

 Funding Source: NGB
 Proponent: NYARNG, Camp Smith Training Site
 Fiscal Year 2015 Project

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Executive Summary

Purpose of and Need for Proposed Action

The purpose of the Proposed Action is to provide a permanent ACP at the Camp Smith Training
Site in the Town of Cortlandt, New York, to meet current Army standards for safety, security,
and traffic flow, including UFC 4-010-01 DoD Minimum Antiterrorism Standards for Buildings
and UFC 4-022-01 Security Engineering: Entry Control Facilities/Access Control Points.

Camp Smith currently does not have a permanent ACP that meets Army standards for safety,
security, and traffic flow. The existing ACP consists of a single guard shack with temporary
wood blockades. The location of the ACP is also in an area that frequently floods due to its
elevation and proximity to the Hudson River. These conditions impact Camp Smith operations
as follows:
 Long delays for deliveries and personnel due to limited facilities including only a single
inbound lane for inspections.
 Lack of stacking area causing vehicles to back up into the travel lanes of Route 6.
 Limited area for vehicle turn-arounds/rejections.
 Lack of electricity, surveillance equipment, communications (other than hand-held
radios)
 Inability to operate during frequent flood events.
 Increased risk for guards due to inadequate standoff distances and no facilities meeting
current anti-terrorism and force protection standards.

The deficiencies of the existing ACP adversely impact the ability of Camp Smith to operate as a
mission critical facility in responding to State and federal emergencies.

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The proposed improvements will provide for a permanent ACP with a command and control
building, overhead canopy with guard booths for checking identifications and an overwatch
building. The command and control building will be designed as a fully conditioned structure,
with fire protection, telecommunications, energy management control system, and energy
efficient lighting.
Description of the Proposed Action
This Environmental Assessment (EA) has been prepared to comply with the requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 United States Code
[U.S.C.] Section 4321−4347); the Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ) Regulations for
Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Parts
1500–1508); and the Army National Guard Manual for Compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA Handbook, October 2011 edition).
This EA analyzes the potential for significant environmental effects associated with the Proposed
Action and the No Action Alternative. The Army National Guard (ARNG) proposes the
rehabilitation/improvement of the existing ACP at the entrance to the Camp Smith Training Site,
located in the Town of Cortlandt, Westchester County, New York.

The Proposed Action involves the construction of a permanent ACP with an approximately 1,680
square foot (sf) control building (without visitor center) and approximately 2,950 sf of overhead
cover to meet current Army and National Guard regulations and design guidelines. The project
also includes rehabilitation of the entrance road, drainage, parking, curbs, sidewalks, retaining
wall, paving, site lighting, control fence and gate, traffic control and maintenance, signage and
plantings. Utilities such as water, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, electric, fiber, fire protection, IT
systems, conduits for low voltage wires, and a design for backup power generation will also be
provided. Construction of the ACP is proposed to begin in September 2015 and be completed by
August 2016.

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The purpose of the Proposed Action is to modify the existing ACP to the entrance of Camp
Smith Training Site to meet current Army standards for safety, security, and traffic flow.
Currently the single inbound lane does not allow adequate space for vehicle stacking,
inspections, and rejections. The entrance does not meet current Anti-terrorism standards or
minimum stand-off distances.

Alternatives Considered
Several alternative sites and layout options were considered, along with the No Action
Alternative before identifying the Preferred Alternative. The evaluation process began with the
establishment of screening criteria to determine which of the several options being considered
could be advanced as true alternatives.
Screening Analysis
The NYARNG conducted a screening level of analysis for several alternatives to accomplish the
intended goal (purpose) of the project, which is to establish a permanent ACP to meet current
Army standards for safety, security, and traffic flow. Screening criteria included the following:
 Cost – With a limited budget for this project and the intent of focusing available funding
on the ACP structures and required infrastructure to meet project goals, challenging site
conditions that would significantly increase costs were avoided.
 Substantially meets the purpose of the project – Provide a permanent ACP that meets
current Army standards for safety, security, and traffic flow.
 Land use compatibility – both the intensity of the use (traffic volumes, truck trips) and
the character of the facility (military installation) and associated safety concerns limits
the acceptable locations for the ACP.
 Environmental Impact – the new ACP should avoid any significant environmental
impacts to the greatest extent practicable.
 Remove ACP from flood-prone areas – the existing ACP floods frequently and therefore
cannot operate as intended during these periods.

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Alternative Sites
Two options have been considered to access Camp Smith from U.S. Route 9. Both access
alternatives are located in the northeastern portion of the Camp Smith property. Either
alternative would require a crossing of a ravine with the potential for significant impacts to a
perennial stream. The site costs and the potential for significant environmental impacts that are
inconsistent with the screening criteria. In addition, both alternatives would add significant
traffic volume, including truck traffic, to an adjacent residential area that could result in
significant land use conflicts.
Alternative Site Layout
 Concept 1 Site Layout
This concept would result in approximately 0.13 acre of wetland impact. The environmental
impacts of this alternative are similar to those of the preferred alternative, however, wetland and
floodplain impacts are slightly more and would require compensatory mitigation as part of the
permitting process with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). This alternative is not
preferred due to the lack of a bypass road, additional permitting effort, and higher costs.
 Concept 2 Site Layout
This alternative involved a relocation of the access road further to the west on Route 6/202
resulting in a potential significant adverse effect on floodplain and wetlands due to the extent of
fill within the tidal marsh and other areas of the floodplain. It is also anticipated that a
significant amount of unsuitable soil would have to be removed from the wetland for this
alternative, which is known to be contaminated by lead and may also be contaminated by PCBs.
Therefore, this alternative was not considered feasible.
The remaining alternatives carried through environmental impact evaluation included the
Preferred Alternative (Proposed Action) and the No Action Alternative (continued use of
existing ACP).

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Refer to Section 2 of the EA for further details on each of the alternatives identified above. The
impacts of the Proposed Action and the No Action Alternative were evaluated for each resource
topic as part of this Focused EA.
Preferred Alternative
The Preferred Alternative is the redevelopment of the existing entrance to Camp Smith, as
discussed in Section 2.2 of this EA. This alternative can be constructed in a manner that all
necessary program requirements can be provided, substantially meeting the Army standards
identified in Section 1.2, with minimal impact to the environment. This alternative would utilize
existing pavement and would be almost entirely contained within previously developed lands.
Since there are no significant existing structures, demolition costs will be minimal. Therefore,
the costs associated with this alternative would be substantially less than that for the other
alternatives considered. Additionally, by maintaining the ACP at the existing entrance, there will
be no conflicts with other land uses in the vicinity.
No Action Alternative
The No Action alternative would result in the continued operation of the existing ACP at Camp
Smith. The NYARNG has determined that this is an unacceptable condition. The existing single
inbound lane does not allow adequate space for vehicle stacking, inspections, and rejections.
Furthermore, the entrance does not meet current Anti-terrorism and force protection standards or
minimum stand-off distances. As a result, this alternative does not meet the project purpose
criteria. In addition, the ACP would remain in its current location and would therefore be subject
to frequent flooding. As there would be no change in current operation, no construction costs
and no additional environmental impacts, the screening criteria for cost, land use compatibility,
and environmental impact would all be met.

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Affected Environment
As agreed upon with NYARNG and National Guard Bureau (NGB), this document only focuses
on environmental disciplines and respective conditions that would be potentially affected by the
implementation of the Proposed Action. Therefore, it was determined that a “focused EA” will
be prepared pursuant to NEPA for the Proposed Action. The focused EA (with only one 30-day
comment period) will concentrate on the following disciplines:
1. Location Description
2. Land Use
3. Visual Resources
4. Geology and Soils
5. Water Resources
6. Biological Resources
7. Cultural Resources
8. Infrastructure
9. Hazardous and Toxic Materials/Wastes
Baseline conditions for the affected environment are outlined in Section 3 of this EA.
Environmental Consequences and Comparison of Alternatives
A comparative matrix of potential environmental impacts of the No Action Alternative and the
Preferred Action Alternative is presented in Table ES-1.

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