Connecticut State Council on Environmental Quality

Environmental Monitor
July 19, 2011
    1. NEW! Windham Hospital Medical Office Building, Windham
   2. Harbor Brook Flood Control Project, Meriden
        
  
   No Post-Scoping Notices have been submitted for publication in this edition
  
   No Environmental Impact Evaluations have been submitted for publication in this edition.
    1. Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) proposed Environmental Classification Document
    1. High Meadows Residential Treatment Facility, Hamden(In Step I of Transfer Process)
                          

         

The next edition of the Environmental Monitor will be published onAugust 2, 2011.
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"Scoping" is for projects in the earliest stages of planning.  At the scoping stage, detailed information on a project's design, alternatives, and environmental impacts does not yet exist.  Sponsoring agencies are asking for comments from other agencies and from the public as to the scope of alternatives and environmental impacts that should be considered for further study.  Send your comments to the contact person listed for the project by the date indicated.
The following Scoping Notices have been submitted for review and comment in this edition.

1. Notice of Scoping for Windham Hospital Medical Office Building

Municipality where proposed project might be located: Windham

Address of Possible Project Location: 605 Valley Street, Willimantic, CT 06226

Project Description: The DECD is providing a grant-in-aid in the amount of $8,400,000 to Windham Hospital for the development of an on-campus Medical Office Building of 29,840 square feet on two levels with adjacent parking of approximately 150 spaces. The project will play a valuable strategic role in enhancing the Hospital's ability to recruit and retain physician practices and to provide functional space for them. The new building will provide space that promotes operating efficiency as well as advances patient convenience and care coordination. Additionally, the Medical Office Building will further develop and integrate the Hospital's campus and make it more of a destination thereby enhancing Windham Hospital's image and that of its local medical network. This project is important not only for the future success of Windham Hospital as a vital healthcare provider and patient safety net, but also to enhance the region's economic performance.

Project Map(s): 

Click here to view a map of the project area

Click here to view the Master Plan for the project

Click here to view the Grading Plan for the project

Written comments from the public are welcomed and will be accepted until the close of business on:  Friday, August, 19, 2011.

Any person can ask the sponsoring agency to hold a Public Scoping Meeting by sending such a request to the address below.  If a meeting is requested by 25 or more individuals, or by an association that represents 25 or more members, the sponsoring agency shall schedule a Public Scoping Meeting.  Such requests must be made by Friday, July, 29, 2011.

Written comments and/or requests for a Public Scoping Meeting should be sent to:

Name: Nelson Tereso
Agency: Department of Economic and Community Development
Address: 505 Hudson Street
Hartford, CT 06106
Fax: 860-270-8157
E-Mail: nelson.g.tereso@ct.gov

If you have questions about the public meeting, or other questions about the scoping for this project, contact:

Name: Nelson Tereso
Agency: Department of Economic and Community Development
Address: 505 Hudson Street
Hartford, CT 06106
Phone: 860-270-8213
Fax: 860-270-8157
E-Mail: nelson.g.tereso@ct.gov

2. Notice of Scoping for Harbor Brook Flood Control Project

Municipality where proposed project would be located: Meriden

Project Description: This flood control project involves a package of channel improvements, bridge replacements, floodwater storage enhancements, wetlands enhancements and the construction of a linear recreational trail along the Harbor Brook corridor from Baldwin’s Pond downstream to the confluence of Harbor Brook and the Quinnipiac River at Hanover Pond.

Project Maps:  Click here to view a map of the Harbor Brook watershed. Click here to view a map of the Harbor Brook project corridor.

Written comments from the public are welcomed and will be accepted until the close of business on:  August 15, 2011

There will be a Public Scoping Meeting for this project at:

DATE: Monday, August 8, 2011

TIME:7:00 PM (public displays of project area and elements will be available for viewing beginning at 6:30 PM)

PLACE: City Council Chamber, Meriden City Hall, 142 East Main Street, Meriden

Written comments should be sent to:

Name: Dan Biron, Project Manager
Agency: Department of Energy & Enviromental Protection
Inland Water Resources Division
Address: 79 Elm St.
Hartford, CT 06106
Phone: 860-424-3892
Fax: 860-424-4075
E-Mail: dan.biron@ct.gov

If you have questions about the public meeting, or other questions about the scoping for this project, contact Mr. Biron as directed above.

The Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and service provider.  In conformance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, DEEP makes every effort to provide equally effective services for persons with disabilities.  Individuals with disabilities who need this information in an alternative format, to allow them to benefit and/or participate in the agency’s programs and services, should call 860-424-3035 or e-mail the ADA Coordinator, at DEP.aaoffice@CT.Gov. Persons who are hearing impaired should call the State of Connecticut relay number 711. Requests for accommodations must be made at least two weeks prior to the program date.

The agency expects to release an Environmental Impact Evaluation for this project, for public review and comment, in December 2011.

Post-Scoping Notices: Environmental Impact Evaluation Not Required
This category is required by the October 2010 revision of the Generic Environmental Classification Document for State Agencies. A notice is published here if the sponsoring agency, after publication of a scoping notice and consideration of comments received, has determined that an  Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) does not need to be prepared for the proposed project.
No Post-Scoping Notice has been submitted for this edition.
No Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) has been submitted for review and comment in this edition.
Environmental Classification Documents
This category includes 1) notices of proposed Environmental Classification Documents (ECD) for public review and comment before they are approved for use by state agencies, and 2) notices of their approval. Environmental Classification Documents are used by state agencies to determine whether a specific state action requires evaluation under the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act.
The following proposed ECD is submitted for review and comment in this edition.
1. Department of Economic and Community Development
The Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) is publishing its proposed agency-specific Environmental Classification Document (ECD) and making it available for public and agency review and comment.Proposed DECD ECD

Comments on this ECD will be accepted until the close of business (5:00 pm) on July 22, 2011.

  

Send comments to:

Name:      Mr. Peter S. Simmons, P.E., Executive Director,

              Office of Responsible Development

Agency:   Department of Economic and Community Development

Address:  505 Hudson Street, 2nd floor, Hartford, CT 06106-7106

Email:      peter.simmons@ct.gov

Phone:    (860) 270-8149


Connecticut General Statutes Section 4b-47 provides for public notice of proposed transfers of state-owned lands out of state ownership. The notice process takes place in steps. Step I is the notice of intent to transfer, which includes an opportunity for any person to comment. If comments are received, the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) will respond, and the comments and responses will be published as Step II.

The Commissioner of Environmental Protection may choose to evaluate the property more thoroughly and recommend preservation of the property or restrictions on the transfer. Step III is publication of the Commissioner's report and draft recommendations, and includes a 30-day public comment period. Step IV is publication of the Commissioner’s responses to any public comments along with the Commissioner's final recommendations regarding the property.

Step V is publication of OPM’s final determination regarding disposition of the property. Fifteen days after this posting the transfer may proceed.

IMPORTANT:  Most proposed transfers are not required to go through all five steps.The land may be sold or transferred 15 days after the close of the comment period of Step I if no comments are received.If comments are received, and the DEP does not elect to conduct and publish a more thorough study of the property, the land may be sold or transferred 15 days after publication of the comments and responses under Step II. (Note, however, that some sales of surplus properties also require the approval of two committees of the General Assembly.)

The Office of Policy and Management (OPM) maintains a list of properties that have been through the public comment phases that includes links to comments received and OPM's responses.

The following Step I Notice is submitted for publication in this edition.

1. Notice of Proposed Land Transfer, Hamden

Complete Address of Property: 825 Hartford Turnpike, Hamden


Commonly used name of property or other identifying information: High Meadows Residential Treatment Facility


Number of acres to be transferred: 50 acres


Click to view map of property location


Description of Property

Below is some general information about the property.  It should not be considered a complete description of the property and should not be relied upon for making decisions.  If only a portion of a property is proposed for transfer, the description pertains only to the portion being transferred.

Brief Description of Historical and Current Uses: Previously run by the Depatrment of Children and Families as a residential treatment facility for brief residential care and emergency diagnostic care for emotionally and behaviorally disordered youth. Ages 10-18.

The property to be transferred contains the following:
 Buildings in use
Buildings not in use
Wooded land

 Nonagricultural fields

 Active agriculture
 Paved areas
 Ponds, streams or other water

Water Supply:   Public water supply   On-site well    Unknown
Waste Disposal:    Served by sewers    On-site septic system    Unknown


Click to view aerial view of property


The Locational Guide Map of the Connecticut Conservation and Development Policies Planidentifies the property as being in the following category:

Regional Center
Neighborhood Conservation Area
Growth Area
 Rural Community Center
 Rural Area
 Conservation Area
 Preservation Area
 Existing Preserved Open Space

The property is in the following municipal zone(s):

Not zoned
Residential
Industrial
 Commercial
 Institutional
 Other: 
 Not known


Special features of the property, if known: N/A


Value of property, if known:
If checked, value is not known.
Type of Sale or Transfer:

Sale or transfer of property in fee

Sale or transfer of partial interest in the property (such as an easement).  Description of interest:

Proposed recipient, if known: Unknown

Proposed use by property recipient, if known: Unknown

The agency is proposing to transfer the property with the following restrictions on future uses:
 If checked, the state is not currently proposing restrictions on future uses.

Reason the State of Connecticut is proposing to transfer this property: The State has deemed the property surplus, since the property is no longer needed for State use and no re-use proposals were received by other State agencies.

Comments from the public are welcome and will be accepted until the close of business on August 4, 2011.


Comments may include (but are not limited to) information you might have about significant natural resources or recreation resources on the property, as well as your recommendations for means to preserve such resources.


Written comments* should be sent to:

Name:

Patrick O'Brien

Agency:

Office of Policy and Management

Address:

 450 Capitol Avenue MS#52 ASP
Hartford, CT 06106-1379

E-Mail:

 Patrick.Obrien@ct.gov


*E-Mail submissions are preferred. 

(Comments from state agencies must be on agency letterhead and signed by agency head.  Scanned copies are preferred.)

Please send a copy of any written comments to:

Name:

Shane P. Mallory, RPA

Agency:

Department of Administrative Services

Address:

165 Capitol Avenue, G-1

Hartford, CT 06106

E-Mail:

 shane.mallory@ct.gov

What Happens Next?

To find out if this proposed transfer is the subject of further notices, check future editions of the Environmental Monitor.Sign up for e-alerts to receive a reminder e-mail on Environmental Monitor publication dates.
No Step II, Step III, Step IV or Step V Notices were submitted for publication in this edition.
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Copyright 2011, Connecticut Council on Environmental Quality