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Home My WebLink About20011102 Ver 1_Meeting Minutes 01162009_20090122Suite 141 975 Walnut Street Cary North Carolina 27511 Phone 919 319 8850 Fax 919 319 6999 TGSMemorandum To: Meeting Attendees ENGINEERS File 'io L ['' :i - From: David Modlin, Jr., Ph.D., PE TGS Engineers I I Suject: Minutes Merger Process Team Informational Meeting NC STIP No. R-1015 Federal-Aid Project No. STPNHF-F-56-4(34) January 16, 2009 On Thursday, August 21, 2008, a merger process team meeting was held in Board Room of the Transportation Building to "reinitiate" the Merger 01 Process for the Havelock Bypass The following persons attended Ken Burleson TGS Engineers David Modlm TGS Engineers Matt Smith Environmental Services, Inc Eric Lash Environmental Services, Inc Kevin Markham Environmental Services, Inc Dr J H Carter, III Dr J H Carter III and Associates, Inc Lisa Fields Dr J H Carter III and Associates, Inc Whit Webb HNTB North Carolina, PC Anne Redmond HNTB North Carolina, PC Adm McCann HNTB North Carolina, PC Susan Pascal HNTB North Carolina, PC Ray Johns U S Forest Service Karen Compton U S Forest Service Gary Jordan U S Fish and Wildlife Service Bill Biddlecome U S Army Corps of Engineers, Washington Chris Milrtscher U S Environmental Protection Agency, Raleigh Steve Sollod N C Division of Coastal Management Stephen Lane N C Division of Coastal Management Daniel Van Liere Down East Regional Planning Organization David Wainwright N C Division of Water Quality Travis Wilson N C Wildlife Resources Commission Suzanne Mason N C Natural Heritage Program Renee Gledhill-Earley State Historic Preservation Office LTyd ? ?? 4 N - \7g) •? G-;jo STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION BEVERLY EAVES PERDUE GOVERNOR Ms Karen Compton (U S Forest Service) Ms Renee Gledhill-Earley (NCDCR - Historic Preservation Office) Mr Gary Jordan (U S Fish and Wildlife Service) Mr Ron Lucas (Federal Highway Administration) Mr Christopher Milrtscher (U S Environmental Protection Agency) Ms Trish Murphey (NCDENR - Division of Marine Fisheries) Mr Ron Sechler (NOAA - Marine Fisheries) Mr Steve Sollod (NCDENR - Division of Coastal Management) Mr Daniel Van Liere (Down East Rural Planning Organization) Mr David Wainwright (NCDENR - Division of Water Quality) Mr William Wescott, PWS (U S Army Corps of Engineers) Mr Travis Wilson (NCDENR - Wildlife Resources Comrnisslon) RE. Comments on Technical Reports R-1015 US 70 Havelock Bypass in Craven County Dear Merger Process Team We reinitiated the Merger Process for this project during an Informational Meeting on August 21, 2008 Our meeting presented updates of human and natural environment studies that were conducted during the past three years and documented in the following reports • Natural Resources Technical Report (Environmental Services, Inc, May 29, 2007) • Proposed Endangered, Threatened, or Sensitive Species Survey Report (Environmental Services, Inc, May 30, 2007) • Biological Alternatives Analysis for Red-Cockaded Woodpecker & Bald Eagle Impacts (Dr J H Carter III and Associates, Inc, December 11, 2007) • USFS PETS Species Evaluation (Environmental Services, Inc, May 29, 2008) • Community Impact Assessment (HNTB Corporation, July 15, 2008) • Quantitative Indirect and Cumulative Effects (HNTB Corporation, July 15, 2008) Please contact me at (919) 733-7844 x214 or at mspierce(a)ncdot gov with any comments or questions that you have generated during your review of these technical reports I appreciate your time and look forward to your response January 16, 2009 (Friday) EUGENE A CONTI, JR SECRETARY Sincerely, Mark Pierce, P E Project Planning Engineer MAILING ADDRESS NC DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PROJECT DEVELOPMENT & ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS BRANCH 1548 MAIL SERVICE CENTER RALEIGH NC 27699-1548 TELEPHONE 919-733-3141 FAX 919-733-9794 WEBSITE www ncdot org/doh/preconstrucbpe LOCATION TRANSPORTATION BUILDING 1 SOUTH WILMINGTON STREET RALEIGH NC 27601 R-1015 Merger Process Team Informational Meeting, August 21, 2008 Page 2 Distribution Date January 16, 2009 Ron Lucas Federal Highway Administration Greg Thorpe Project Development and Environmental Analysis Branch (PDEA) Rob Hanson PDEA, Project Development Brian Yamamoto PDEA, Project Development Mark Pierce PDEA, Project Development John Conforti PDEA, Project Development Neil Lassiter NCDOT, Division 2 Ed Eatmon NCDOT, Division 2 Betty Ann Caldwell NCDOT, Division 2 Drew Joyner PDEA, Human Environment Steve Gurganus PDEA, Human Environment Ed Lewis PDEA, Human Environment Phil Hams PDEA, Natural Environment Elizabeth Lusk PDEA, Natural Environment Chris Rivenbark PDEA, Natural Environment Mary Frazer PDEA, Natural Environment Ray McIntyre Program Development, STIP Unit W M Petit Program Development, STIP Unit Allison White NCDOT Roadway Design Unit Lonnie Brooks NCDOT Structure Design Unit Dean Argenbrght NCDOT Geotechnical Engineering Unit Andrew Notttmgham NCDOT Hydraulics Unit Mark Pierce, NCDOT Project Manager for R-1015, called the meeting to order at 9 00 am The meeting focused on bringing the Merger Team up to current status on progress made on the study over the past several years and reinitiating the Merger 01 Process Following an agenda provided by Mark Pierce, Mark and William Wescott provided opening remarks to the attendees, reviewed the project description and discussed its history Environmental Services, Inc , Dr J H Carter, III and Associates, Inc and HNTB, North Carolina, P C representatives then gave short presentations of the updated Natural Environment Studies and Human Environment Studies Environmental Services, Inc. Kevin Markham and Matt Smith discussed recent work Environmental Services, Inc has completed on the natural environment A revised Natural Systems Technical Report, dated May 2007, has been completed and approved by NCDOT Matt Smith has completed a revised PETS Study, dated May 2008, which has been approved by NCDOT R-1015 Merger Process Team Informational Meeting, August 21, 2008 Page 3 Distribution Date January 16, 2009 The U S Forrest Service commented that they believed the revised PETS Study is up-to- date Dr. J. H. Carter, III and Associates, Inc. Dr J H Carter, III and Lisa Field commented on the firm's Final Biological Analysis for the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker and Bald Eagle Impacts, dated December 11, 2007 and approved by the NCDOT Lisa Field also introduced a memo prepared following observations during the June 2008 nesting season that indicated there were no active RCW clusters in the project area The memo also presented an impact matrix for Existing and Future RCW clusters on the Croatan National Forest The memo also stated that no inactive RCW clusters impacted will result in an Incidental Take due to RCW foraging habitat removal, there would be no RCW group level take, and there would be no RCW neighborhood level take HNTB, North Carolina, P.C. HNTB has prepared Community Impact Assessment and Indirect and Cumulative Effects Studies, both dated July 15, 2008, and approved by NCDOT Susan Pascal and Adm McCann presented the respective document findings The final ICE conclusion was that the potential for land use change as a result of the implementation of any of the Bypass Alternates was Low to Moderate Discussion followed the presentations U. S. Environmental Protection Agency Would like to see previous corridor selection documentation by the Steering Committee/Merger Process Team Expand the Impact Matrix shown by NCDOT Final corridor selection (LEDPA) should follow the DEIS Has NCDOT studied options for the proposed freeway cross sections Would like discussion in the EIS Incorporate the completed Technical Documents by reference Give detailed description of Croatan Wetland Mitigation Bank site in DEIS U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Informal Section 7 Consultation is needed The Final Biological Alternatives Analysis for Red-Cockaded Woodpecker and Bald Eagle Impacts, dated December 11, 2007, is good Prepare Biological Assessment after corridor selection R-1015 Merger Process Team Informational Meeting, August 21, 2008 Page 4 Distribution Date January 16, 2009 U. S. Forest Service Lee Thornhill is the new District Ranger for the Croatan National Forest During discussion of fragmentation of the Croatan National Forest, spoke favorably of Alternate 3 N. C. Division of Coastal Management A CAMA Permit will not be required A Consistency Statement will be required Mark Pierce indicated that the NCDOT current schedule is for a signed DEIS January 2009 and a Design Corridor Hearing during the summer of 2009 As of the date of these minutes, this schedule is no longer valid and is being updated ACTION ITEMS Distribute copies of Merger Process history to Merger Process Team - PDEA Coordination on Merger Process schedule - USACE and PDEA Reconsider freeway design options and effects - NCDOT Roadway Design Develop Informal Section 7 Consultation after CP4A - Mark Pierce Consultation with Cultural Resources - PDEA Discussion of Croatan Wetland Mitigation Bank in DEIS - TGS Engineers Comments on updated technical reports - Merger Process Team