Connecticut State Council on Environmental Quality

train passing wetlands

ENVIRONMENTAL MONITOR
The official site for project information under
the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act

March 8, 2011
 
   1. NEW! 2008 Campus Master Plan for Eastern Connecticut State University, Windham and Mansfield
   1. NEW! Broadband Technologies Opportunities Program (BTOP) Statewide Fiber Optic Network Project
Environmental Impact Evaluations
  
   There are no Environmental Impact Evaluations for review and comment in this edition.
    STEP I - Notices of Intent to Transfer Property. 
    
   1. NEW! 121 Mile Hill Road (aka Wasserman Way), Newtown
                    

   STEP II - Public comments regarding proposed transfers that were posted previously in the Environmental Monitor, and the Office of Policy and Management's (OPM's) responses to those comments. None in this edition

                            

   STEP III - Draft recommendations of the Commissioner of Environmental Protection regarding preservation of properties proposed for transfer.   None in this edition  

    

   STEP IV - Final recommendations of the Commissioner of Environmental Protection regarding disposition of properties proposed for transfer, along with comments and responses from Step III.  None in this edition

              

   STEP V - Final determinations by the Secretary of OPM regarding the ultimate disposition of properties proposed for transfer.  None in this edition

      

The next edition of the Environmental Monitor will be published on March 22, 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 Notice has been submitted for review and comment in this edition.

1. Scoping Notice for 2008 Campus Master Plan for Eastern Connecticut State University

Municipalities where proposed project might be located: Windham and Mansfield

Address of Possible Project Location: 83 Windham Street, Willimantic; ECSU Athletic Complex, RT 6, Mansfield

Project Description: The Board of Trustees for the Connecticut State University System (CSUS), in conjunction with Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) and the Connecticut Department of Public Works, proposes to implement a program of improvements at ECSU.  These improvements have been released as part of the approved 2008 Campus Master Plan for Eastern Connecticut State University (22MB), prepared by Symmes Maini & McKee Associates, Inc. in October 2008. 

The Campus Master Plan is a baseline for future campus development and funding requests to the Board of Trustees. The educational space needs of ECSU were analyzed and recommendations were made in the May 2008 Program for the Master Plan report. The subject Campus Master Plan addresses the facilities required to accommodate the program and requirements of ECSU in 2017.

For a full description of the Campus Master Plan, please click here. 

An Initial Environmental Review has been prepared for the Proposed Action and is available for review in conjunction with this scoping notice, by clicking here.

Project Figures:                               Low Resolution

Campus Location (10 MB)              low res (1.6 MB)

Existing Conditions (189 kb)

Campus Master Plan (232 kb)

Any person can ask the sponsoring agency to hold a Public Scoping Meeting by sending such a request to the address below no later than March 18, 2011 at the close of business.  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.

Written comments from the public are welcomed and will be accepted until the close of business on:  April 7, 2011.

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

Name:

Keith Epstein, AIA

Title:

Assistant Vice Chancellor for Planning and Technical Services

Agency:

Connecticut State University System

Address:

39 Woodland Street

Hartford, Connecticut  06105

Fax:

860-493-0059

E-Mail:

epsteink@ct.edu

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

Name:

Jeff Bolton

Title:

Supervising Environmental Analyst

Agency:

Connecticut Department of Public Works

Address:

165 Capitol Avenue, Room 275

Hartford, Connecticut  06106

Phone:

860-713-5706

E-Mail:

jeffrey.bolton@ct.gov

Post-Scoping Notices:Environmental Impact Evaluation Not Required

This is a new category 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.
1. Broadband Technologies Opportunities Program (BTOP) Statewide Fiber Optic Network Project
Project Title: Broadband Technologies Opportunities Program (BTOP) Statewide Fiber Optic Network Project
CEPA Determination:  On January 18, 2011, the Department of Information Technology (DOIT) published a Notice of Scoping to solicit public comments for the Broadband Technologies Opportunities Program (BTOP) Statewide Fiber Optic Network Project in the Environmental Monitor.  DOIT has concluded that the subject project does not warrant the preparation of Environmental Impact Evaluation under CEPA.
No Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) has been submitted for review and comment in this edition.
  
State Land Transfer Notices


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.

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 was submitted for review and comment in this edition.

1. Notice of Proposed Land Transfer, Newtown

Complete Address of Property: 121 Mile Hill Road (aka Wasserman Way), Newtown, CT


Commonly used name of property or other identifying information: N/A


Number of acres to be transferred: 1.2


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: Formerly under the care, control, and custody of the CT Military Department and is not subject to agriculture uses or restrictions of the Fairfield Hills transfer.  Until recently (2/2011), the property contained a 2-story residential structure, which has been demolished.  The exact parcel configuration is yet to be determined.  However, the intent to provide a legal-conforming residential lot to meet current Newtown zoning regulations.  The lot configuration will most likely be as depicted on the detailed figure provided below.

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
Click to view photographs of property

The Locational Guide Map of the Connecticut Conservation and Development Policies Plan for Connecticut identifies the property as being in the following category(ies):
 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:  CA (Conservation & Agriculture)
 Not known


Special features of the property, if known: None

Value of property, if known:
If checked, value is not known.

Links to other available information

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: N/A

Proposed use by property recipient, if known: N/A

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 April 7, 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 Public Works

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 2009, Connecticut Council on Environmental Quality