NOTICE OF FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT AND NOTICE OF INTENT TO REQUEST RELEASE OF FUNDS - Armory Redevelopment Project

NOTICE OF FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT AND NOTICE OF INTENT TO REQUEST RELEASE OF FUNDS STATE OF VERMONT 

These notices shall satisfy two separate but related procedural requirements for activities to be undertaken by the Town of St. Johnsbury, VT. 

Request for Release of Funds On or about November 13, 2023 the Town of St. Johnsbury will submit a request to the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development (the Agency) to release the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (PL 93-383), the National Affordable Housing Act, as amended, to undertake a project known as Armory Redevelopment Project for the purpose of remediation and abatement of hazardous materials in preparation for construction of a police and regional dispatch center at 1249 Main Street, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819 (referred to as the Armory).The total estimated cost of the remediation and abatement is $2.5M, with construction to follow for a total project cost of $11.2M. Committed funding sources include:  $1,200,000 from the Vermont Brownfield Revitalization Fund  $162,000 from the Northwest Regional Planning Commission RLF (grant)  $500,000 from the EPA Cleanup Fund  $251,746 Town of St. Johnsbury (includes $174,000 loan from the NRPC))  $51,127 Town of St. Johnsbury (in-kind) Anticipated funding sources include:  $330,000 from VCDP CDBG Program A Corrective Action Plan (CAP) has been approved by the Vermont DEC and the EPA. Mitigation measures outlined in the CAP and Addendum 1 of the CAP will be followed during project redevelopment. The corrective actions are designed to remove impacted soil volumes by excavating contaminated soils for offsite disposal and replacing those soils with clean fill. Additional mitigation includes remediation of asbestos containing materials, lead based paint, and PCBs. This shall be completed following any exterior building materials abatement to avoid potential cross-contamination.

Finding of No Significant Impact The Town of St. Johnsbury has determined that the project will have no significant impact on the human environment. Therefore, an Environmental Impact Statement under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) is not required. Additional project information is contained in the Environmental Review Record (ERR) on file at the municipal office of the Town of Town of St. Johnsbury at 51 Depot Square, Suite 3, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819, and may be examined or copied Monday – Friday 8:30am – 4pm. 

Public Comments: Any individual, group, or agency may submit written comments on the ERR to the Town of St. Johnsbury, Attn: Joe Kasprzak, Assistant Town of St. Johnsbury, 51 Depot Square, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819 or jkasprzak@stjvt.com . All comments received by November 13, 2023 will be considered by the Town of St. Johnsbury prior to authorizing the submission of a request for release of funds. Comments must specify which Notice they are addressing—the Finding of No Significant Impact or the Request for the Release of Funds. 

To view the full notice (click here)