Information for File # ARC

Transcription

1 Information for File # ARC Applicant John Klarich ISD 712 Consultant Corps Contact Jeremy Schwarze Benchmark Engineering, Inc. Andrew R Chambers Address 600 South Lake Avenue, Suite 211, Duluth, MN Andrew.R.Chambers@usace.army.mil Phone Primary County St. Louis County Section 11 Township Range 58 North 18 West Information Complete On September 29, 2016 Posting Expires On December 12, 2016 Authorization Type LOP-05-MN This application is being reviewed in accordance with current practices for documenting Corps jurisdiction under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. We have made a preliminary determination that the aquatic resources that would be impacted by the proposed project are subject to Corps of Engineers jurisdiction under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. If an approved jurisdictional determination is completed as part of the review process for this application, a copy will be posted on the St. Paul District web page at the following link: Project: The purpose and need of the proposed project is to construct a new Mountain Iron-Buhl high school facility, which would include seven general education classrooms, two gymnasiums, a fitness center, and student cafeteria with commons, etc., at the Merritt Elementary School site on the south side of Highway 169 approximately 1.0 mile east of Mineral Avenue in Mountain Iron, Minnesota. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE: The purpose of the proposed project is to build a new high school at the Merritt Elementary School site to consolidate educational facilities for the Mountain Iron-Buhl student population. According to the applicant, the construction of a new high school facility would be necessary to accommodate students and should be at a location that would not incur structural damage from indirect effects of mine blasting activity. The consolidated facilities would reduce school expenses, reduce the environmental footprint, and would utilize existing infrastructure. 1

2 The project proposes to construct a new 88,000 square-foot high school building. This new building would be an addition to the Merritt Elementary school, and would share an upgraded kitchen, boiler plant, receiving area, auditorium, school restaurant, and public/events entrance. The high school building would include seven general education classrooms, two science labs, an art classroom, industrial technology shops (wood, metals, automotive), an Indian education classroom, two telepresence classrooms, two special education classrooms, a music suite (band and choir room), two gymnasiums (with fitness center and 4 locker rooms), student cafeteria-commons, student run restaurant, and an administrative suite (staff offices, nurse station, meeting rooms). The project also proposes additional site access from Unity Drive for a main entrance, bus dropoff/pick-up zones, food and supply delivery, and garbage/recycling collection, and 120 additional parking stalls for students, staff, and visitors. The additional access from Unity Drive increases traffic flow, while allowing for shared use of the existing parking lot. The new facility would include a football field with bleachers and a pedestrian plaza for circulation and access to concessions and toilets. The football field allows for K-12 use, meaning elementary school students have a football facility onsite. The project proposes to construct a 7,200 square-foot storm water pond, located west of the football field, to manage a total volume of 25,000 cubic feet of storm water runoff and improve the water runoff quality before discharging into adjacent wetlands. NAME, AREA AND TYPES OF WATERS (INCLUDING WETLANDS) SUBJECT TO LOSS: The educational development would include the proposed discharge of dredged and fill materials in wetlands adjacent to an unnamed tributary to West Two River. The project would result in permanent discharge of dredged and fill materials into 0.95 acre of shrub-carr and forested wetlands. The construction of the parking lot would account for 0.07 acre of wetland impact, the football field and bleachers would account for 0.21 acre of wetland impact, and the high school building would account for 0.67 acre of wetland impact. The permanently impacted wetlands occur within Bank Service Area (BSA) 1. Erosion control measures and sediment control BMP s would be in place such as 3,000 feet of silt fence (doubling around wetlands), erosion control blanket, inlet protection, stabilized construction site entrances/exits, concrete washout areas, and sediment control devices at storm sewer inlets. The disturbed areas would be reseeded and/or planted and stockpiles stabilized to limit erosion and further impact to wetlands. ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED: The no build alternative consisted of abandoning educational development on this site. This alternative was abandoned due to the need for a new high school facility. The high school that is currently used is located within close proximity to mine blasting activities, and the building would need further structural improvements. The existing school could not keep water in the swimming pool and has replaced mostly all the windows due to blasting. The no build alternative would result in further structural damage to the current high school. Alternative 1 This concept involved constructing the high school facility in the large forested lot immediately west of the Merritt School, which is currently the school forest used for educating students on natural resources and silviculture. This design allowed for more freedom in building design and placement. However, it also resulted in duplicating buildings that could be shared and increased the overall footprint by 20,000 square feet. This alternative would result in the discharge of dredged and fill materials into 3.76 acres of wetlands. 2

3 Alternative 2 Through wetland minimization efforts, a second alternative was considered. The high school facility would be on the Merritt School property and the high school building would be placed along Highway 169, where the current baseball field is located. However, the high school building would be too close to the highway Right-of-Way and would require the baseball field and outdoor play area to be relocated. This alternative would result in the discharge of dredged and fill materials into 2.11 acres of wetlands. Alternative 3 (Preferred Alternative) Wetland avoidance and minimization efforts came into play in designing the preferred alternative. The high school building would be built in connection to Merritt School and would share parking, auditorium, boiler plant, kitchen, and commons space. According to the consultant, this design would save the school district $440,000 per year in operational costs. The Preferred Alternative would result in the discharge of dredged and fill materials into 0.95 acre of wetlands. COMPENSATORY MITIGATION: The applicant has voluntarily minimized potential wetland impacts for the school project from 3.76 acres to 0.95 acre, a reduction of 2.81 acres of wetland impact. The applicant proposes to compensate for the loss of wetlands by purchasing 0.07 acre of hardwood swamp wetland credits from the Stan Bautch wetland mitigation bank (BWSR Account #1564) and 0.88 acre of shrub-carr wetland credits from the University of Minnesota Wetland Mitigation Bank (BWSR Account #1510) in Bank Service Area 1. Drawings See attached. 3

4 Mountain Iron-Buhl High School ISD 712 Legend Church HERITAGE MUSEUM Mesabi Daily News Motor Vehicle License Bureau School Virginia Police Dept 2016 Google 1 mi N

5 Mountain Iron-Buhl High School ISD 712 Legend Arrowhead Library System 2016 Google 800 ft N

6 ARC Drawing 3 of 7

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