Kinston Bypass

MEETING MINUTES URS
To: Project File (STIP R-2553)
URS File 31826743
From: Jeffrey Weisner, AICP
Date: June 15. 2009
RE: STIP Number R-2553, Kinston Bypass, Lenoir County, North Carolina
US 70 Kinston Bypass
WBS Number 34460
US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Pre-GIS Scoping Meeting,
April 23, 2009, NCDOT Transportation Bldg., Room 350
Attendees
Donna Dancausse Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Rob Ayers FHWA
Chris Militscher USEPA
Donnie Williams (via phone) USEPA
Tim Johnson Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (CGIA)
David Giordano CGIA
Brian Yamamoto NCDOT Project Development
Mark Pierce NCDOT Project Development
James Tortorella, Jr. NCDOT Project Development
John Farley NCDOT Geographic Information Systems
Leilani Paugh NCDOT Natural Environment
Morgan Weatherford NCDOT Natural Environment
Jeff Weisner URS
Purpose
The purposes of the meeting were to:
• Introduce the Pilot GIS Process related to the normal project development process and identify
points of interest/concem.
Introduce GIS data update schedule and relationship to USEPA.
Identify primary USEPA GIS data "needs" for project decision making.
Meeting Summary
Items discussed are summarized below:
• Brian Yamamoto began the meeting with introductions of those in attendance (see above list of
attendees). The agenda, list of priority data layers, and Kinston Bypass Project Critical Items and
GIS Initiative timeline were handed out.
• Brian continued by stating the above purposes of the meeting and providing some background on
the Interagency Leadership Team OLT) and the Kinston Bypass GIS Pilot Project.
o The Pilot is part of the ILT initiative to streamline the project development process to
use GIS early in the alternative development and evaluation process and make
MEETING MINUTES
USEPA Pre-GIS Scoping Meeting (April 23, 2009)
June 15, 2009
Page 2 of 5
decisions on the Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative (LEDPA)
using GIS level data.
o FHWA is partially funding GIS data updates and is interested in the pilot projects and
their potential application to federally-funded highway projects.
o The ILT is interested in how other states are using GIS and functional level (rather than
preliminary level) designs in the decision-making process.
o GIS was used in the past in North Carolina, but calculating project impacts from that
data was often problematic and gave inconsistent results. GIS data and technology
have since greatly improved. Additionally, NCDOT's definition of functional level
design has been standardized as well as impact calculation methods.
o PDEA sees great potential to use GIS in the NCDOT project development and Merger
processes with the benefit of reducing labor and time-intensive field studies and
multiple preliminary designs.
o The Carthage Bypass is a GIS pilot project that is already underway. The expanded
use of existing GIS data was introduced at Concurrence Point 2, Alternatives Carried
Forward for Detailed Studies. Brian noted that Chris Militscher and LeiLani Paugh are
both currently working on the Carthage project.
o The Kinston Bypass project provides the opportunity to update and use GIS from the
beginning of the project development process.
o While part of a statewide initiative is to update and centralize GIS data across North
Carolina, the focus of this pilot will be to develop a consistent set of data for Lenoir
County for the Kinston Bypass pilot project. Any other NCDOT projects initiated
within Lenoir County will also draw from the GIS data updated as part of this pilot.
o NCDOT and CGIA will be facilitating a series of GIS pre-Scoping meetings such as
this meeting - these will be accomplished in smaller group meetings with each agency.
o Kinston Bypass Project update.
• Preparing Start of Study Letter
Developing plan to update/obtain GIS data layers - GIS updates should be
complete by September 2010 which dovetails with the project timeline to begin
functional design.
Hope to get through functional design and LEDPA (Merger Concurrence Point
3) using GIS data supplemented by field work.
Brian asked if anyone had questions or comments on the list.
Chris commented that:
In general, he did not have any issues with the list of data layers or the general
approach to the project. However, he did want to caution the team that he learned from
his experience on a project in South Carolina, which used a GIS-based alternative
screening tool, that applying relative quality criteria (high, medium, low) can be
problematic.
The process seemed to skew that analysis in the favor of addressing Clean Water Act
requirements and did not account for balancing of impacts among other environmental
categories. For example, Prime and Unique Farmlands and Environmental Justice (EJ)
are not "re&flag" issues, yet they can affect the location decision of an alignment.
Often, EJ and farmland issues do not arise until late in the project development process
when changing the location of an alignment is most problematic.
MEETING MINUTES
USEPA Pre-GIS Scoping Meeting (April 23, 2009)
June 15, 2009
Page 3 of 5
o To avoid this, Chris recommended that these issues be included in GIS layers and
considered in conjunction with "red-flag" issues.
o GIS layers do not provide contextual characteristics of the resources, which may
require some level of field review.
• Chris identified other issues that should also be considered early in the process such as:
o Loss and development of farmland
o Volunteer Farm Districts -
o Protection of Century Farms although this may intersect with historic property data.
• Data availability:
o Century Farms - US Department of Agriculture (specifically the Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS)) county offices
o Prime soils - NRCS county offices
o Volunteer Agricultural Districts - Cooperative Extension Service
• Information on Century Farms and Volunteer Agricultural Districts can be found on the US
Department of Agriculture website.
• Chris expressed concern about using a GIS analysis method to screen alternatives to get down to
one build alternative and a no-build alternative for consideration at Concurrence Point 3 and leave
the public with only one choice among alternatives.
• Brian indicated that on a pilot project, especially of this magnitude, getting down to one alternative
is not likely to happen. The idea is to get to a reasonable set of alternatives that can be
studied/presented in the environmental document.
• Chris indicated that he was comfortable using Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) data to help
determine the relative quality of streams and wetlands, but would like to see some field review
included to identify El and farmland resources early in the process so the development of
preliminary alternatives can include consideration of the EJ and farmland resources. Often in
projects like this, unidentified resources (not included in existing GIS data) are identified through
project-related studies.
• Brian agreed and stated that NCDOT understands that some degree of ground-truthing and field
work will be needed. NCDOT will also be using other data layers and CGIA is looking for input
on any other layers not listed that might be helpful to agencies in their decision-making process.
• Donnie Williams asked if the data layers existed or if they were yet to be developed.
• Tim explained that some data is complete and up to date and some has to be completely developed.
The ILT initially identified 171 data layers which have subsequently been trimmed to 90. These
have been categorized and prioritized as either high, medium, or low priority. Other agencies have
already provided input on additional layers to be added.
• Donnie asked for clarification regarding his role in the process. USEPA has extensive GIS data
that might be useful.
• The response was that USEPA is being asked to help identify data and specifications that USEPA
needs for decision making and to identify data that US EPA might have that would be useful to the
process. Chris asked Donnie to forward the list of USEPA data to Tim.
• Chris explained that USEPA is now circulating hydric soils data and updates to this layer are about
90% complete. Data comes from the NRCS.
• Tim asked if USEPA simply acquired data or if they altered the data in any way.
• USEPA does some manipulation by adding updates and attributes.
MEETING MINUTES
USEPA Pre-GIS Seeping Meeting (April 23, 2009)
June 15, 2009
Page 4 of 5
• USEPA has Superfund Sites data and a tool called NEPA Assist - at one time NCDOT was
moving ahead with gaining access and using the tool but, no one in attendance of this meeting was
sure what happened with the effort. Chris will look into this.
• Bill Laxton (NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources Interagency Leadership
Team) was trying to obtain access to NEPA Assist for N.C. Department of Environment and
Natural Resources staff.
• Donnie and Chris explained that NEPA Assist is an ArcGIS or Oracle platform analysis tool that
has default data layers that can be customized.
• Tim discussed the Pilot Project time line for data acquisition and updates.
Tim asked if USEPA could define farmlands with respect to GIS layers.
• Chris responded that they could be defined, but are subject to change. He explained that farmland
analysis looks at physical parameters:
o Presence of soils
o Parameters of prime or uniqueness are investigated - includes analysis of what is
grown
o AD 1006 Form is completed - Part 1 is completed by consultant or agency proposing
the action, Part 2 is completed by NRCS and is usually only completed for new
location projects. The form determines threshold of impact to prime and unique
farmland. A score of less than 200 indicates no prime and unique farmland, and
greater that 200 is a positive indication of prime and unique farmland, but no special
protection exists for farmlands.
o Field visit (usually at Concurrence 2A, Bridging Decisions) is used to verify farmlands.
• Tim suggested that a Department of Commerce layer might be helpful in looking at farmlands.
• Rob Ayers suggested that it might be easier to determine where farmlands are not present. For
example, by definition Metropolitan Planning Organization districts do not contain prime and
unique farmlands. Land use data might be useful.
• Chris cautioned that it is not accurate to depend on future land use data since land use plans often
indicate desires and not necessarily the reality.
• Chris stated that knowledge about "Environmental Justice Communities" would be useful.
[Reference: Title VI of Civil Rights Act and Executive Order 12898 "Federal Actions to Address
Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low Income Populations, February 11, 1994.]
• Tim asked if USEPA could define Environmental Justice with respect to GIS layers.
• Chris indicated that this is difficult since so much depends on context.
• Mark stated that this process will include ground-truthing and early data collection on potential EJ
communities that will be included on the project constraints map.
• Chris identified that Census block and block group data can be used to identify special populations
and potential Title VI issues - EJ involves study of the potential for disproportionately high and
adverse impacts to low-income and minority populations. The overall effect on the identification
and screening of alternatives is not necessarily avoidance of resources, but steering the location of
alternatives to balance impacts.
• Mark stated NCDOT has a multipronged approach to the identification of community and social
resources that includes preparation of a Community Characteristics Report. The report will be
completed prior to scoping and will help to identify potential community issues early in the project
development process and before alternative corridors are developed.
• Chris cautioned against letting communities define their neighborhood boundaries as they often
include vacant/unoccupied land that does not qualify in the assessment of impacts.

MEETING MINUTES
USEPA Pre-GIS Scoping Meeting (April 23, 2009)
June 15, 2009
Page 5 of 5
• General discussion ensued regarding spatial analysis models, including ART and CAT, used to
analyze transportation corridor alternatives.
• Regarding the CGIA data collection time line, Tim stated that the objective was to have finalized
data specifications from the agencies before September 2009, and that the Lenoir County data
collection effort would be completed by September 2010.
• Leilani asked if the data priority list is still being modified.
• The reply was yes, but "tweaked" is perhaps a better term as "modified" implies wholesale
changes.
• Brian reviewed the next steps in the process:
o Remaining Pre-GIS seeping meetings to be held
o The Kinston Bypass Project Start of Study letter will be issued in the coming weeks
o GIS Scoping Meeting will be held in July 2009
o Scoping packages for the Kinston Bypass Project will be sent out and a project seeping
meeting will be held in October of this year.
• Leil.ani asked at what point in the project development process will the stream and wetland data
be verified.
• Brian indicated that this would occur in the Concurrence Point 2A time frame, similar to the
Carthage Bypass project.
• Chris suggested that the agencies be notified that wetlands and streams, in addition to hydrologic
crossings, will be looked at during the field review. He also suggested that plenty of time be
scheduled for the field review similar to the US 64 project in Tyrrell and Dare Counties.
• Mark indicated that, through the Kinston Bypass GIS Scoping Process, a list of GIS layers to be
ground-truthed will be identified.
• The meeting was concluded at approximately 10:20 AM.
cc: Attendees
File

MEETING MINUTES
To: Project File (STIP R-2553)
URS File 31826743
From: Chris Werner. PE
Date: June 15, 2009
ZJR.S
RE: STIP Number R-2553, Kinston Bypass, Lenoir County, North Carolina
US 70 Kinston Bypass
WBS Number 34460
NC Division of Cultural Resources (NCDCR) Pre-GIS Scoping Meeting, April 15,
2009,
NCDOT Transportation Bldg., Room 470
Attendees
Amy Simes
Peter Sandbeck
Renee Gledhill-Earley
Michael Southern
Heather Mounts
Sieve Claggett
Susan Myers
Lawrence Abbott
Rob Hanson
Brian Yamamoto
Mark Pierce
James Tortorella Jr.
Mary Pope Furr
Matt Wilkerson
John Farley
David Giordano
Tim Johnson
Chris Werner
Jeff Weisner
NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR)
NCDCR-Historic Preservation Office (HPO)
NCDCR-HPO
NCDCR-HPO
NCDCR-HPO
NCDCR-Office of State, Archaeology
NCDCR-Office of State Archaeology
NCDCR-Office of State Archaeology
NCDOT Project Development
NCDOT Project Development
NCDOT Project Development
NCDOT Project Development
NCDOT Human Environment
NCDOT Human Environment
NCDOT Geographic Information Systems
Center for Geographic Information and Analysis
(CGIA)
CGIA
URS
URS
Purpose
The purposes of the meeting were to:
• Introduce the Pilot GIS Process related to the normal project development process and identify
points of interest/concern.
• Introduce GIS data update schedule and relationship to cultural resources - both architectural and
archaeological.
• Identify primary cultural resource GIS data "needs" for project decision making.
MEETING MINUTES
NCDCR Pre-GIS Scoping Meeting (April 15, 2009)
June 15, 2009
Page 2 of 4
Meeting Summary
Items discussed are summarized below:
Brian Yamamoto began the meeting with introductions of those in attendance (see above list of
attendees).
Brian Y. continued by elaborating on the above purposes of the meeting and providing some
background on the Interagency Leadership Team (ILT) and the Kinston Bypass GIS Pilot Project.
o The Pilot is part of the ILT initiative to streamline the project development process to
use GIS early in the alternative development and evaluation process and make
decisions on the Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative (LEDPA)
using GIS level data.
o FHWA is partially funding GIS data updates and is interested in the pilot projects and
their potential application to federally-funded highway projects.
o The ILT is interested in how other states are using GIS and functional level (rather than
preliminary level) designs in the decision-making process.
o GIS was used in the past in North Carolina, but calculating project impacts from that
data was often problematic and gave inconsistent results. GIS data and technology
have since greatly improved. Additionally, NCDOT's definition of functional level
design has been standardized as well as impact calculation methods.
o PDEA sees great potential to use GIS in the NCDOT project development and Merger
processes with the benefit of reducing labor and time-intensive field studies and
multiple preliminary designs.
o The Carthage Bypass is a GIS pilot project that is already underway. The expanded
use of existing GIS data was introduced at Concurrence Point 2, Alternatives Carried
Forward for Detailed Studies.
o The Kinston Bypass project provides the opportunity to update and use GIS from the
beginning of the project development process.
o While part of a statewide initiative is to update and centralize GIS data across North
Carolina, the focus of this pilot will be to develop a consistent set of data for Lenoir
County for the Kinston Bypass pilot project. Any other NCDOT projects initiated
within Lenoir County will also draw from the GIS data updated as part of this pilot.
o NCDOT and CGIA will be facilitating a series of GIS pre-scoping meetings such as
this meeting - which will be accomplished in smaller group meetings with each
agency.
o Kinston Bypass Project update.
• Preparing Start of Study Letter
• Developing plan to update/obtain GIS data layers - GIS updates should be
complete by September 2010 which coincides with the project timeline to
begin functional design.
• The intent is to follow the Merger process through LEDPA (Merger CP3) using
GIS data supplemented by field work.
• Meetings have been held with DENR Divisions and the USACE to date.
Brian Y. asked if there were any questions.
Tim Johnson commented that CGIA wants to have a better understanding of the cultural resource
data to be collected for the project and also wants to get a set of specifications for compiling data
layers for all of Lenoir County.
MEETING MINUTES
NCDCR Pre-GIS Scoping Meeting (April 15, 2009)
June 15, 2009
Page 3 of4
141STORIC ARCHITECTURE
• Mr. Sandbeck noted the HPO currently has mapping available for all Designated Historic
Properties and Districts statewide; however, there is a backlog for mapping the Determinations of
Eligible Properties for Lenoir County. Coordination will be required with cities throughout Lenoir
County regarding the locally designated landmarks.
• Mary Pope Furr stated the information layers needs to include at least National Register listings
and locally designated properties.
• The group then discussed attributes to be included for GIS layers. Mr. Sandbeck explained current
attributes include name of site, site number, USGS Quad name and a description.
• Mr. Sandbeck noted many sites are depicted on USGS Quad maps which have been scanned in,
and will need to be field verified, with site information updated.
It was noted Downtown Kinston surveys will not be completed as they were recently updated. If
the Kinston Bypass project were to impact municipal boundaries; the downtown survey will
require updating.
• Mr. Sandbeck stated they are currently working to setup a SQL Server and ArcSDE database,
which will include metadata standards, base map data and will be on-line soon with Phase 1
completion targeted for October 2009.
• Tim Johnson then requested what the current HPO needs are in order to'update the Historic
Architecture data. Mr. Sandbeck noted the following:
I. There are two possibilities to perform the update: the addition of in-house staff or the
preparation of scope and specifications in order to issue an RFP for a Private Engineering Firm
(PEF) to perform the work.
2. Specifications would include the incorporation of Digital photography, database forms, PIN
numbers and GIS Layers.
• It was noted the project is scheduled to be flown this fall in order to obtain current
orthophotography.
• Mary Pope Furr then questioned whether the update will include LaGrange. Mr. Sandbeck noted
they do everything outside of any Registered Districts.
• Discussion then turned towards the current data collection/update schedule. Mr. Sandbeck stated
he was concerned with the September 2009 timeframe for either adding staff or the efforts
associated with preparing an RFP and making a PEF selection. He was also concerned about the
12 month time-frame for completing the data layer update.
• Mr. Sandbeck noted the data collection/update would result with a datapoint plus polygon for the
property. If this work is to be completed by staff, the original cost estimate did not include the cost
of GPS equipment. Should a RFP be prepared, it should be noted the use of a GPS will be
required as a part of the survey.
HISTORIC ARCHAEOLOGY
• Mr. Claggett noted the statewide archaeology data dates back to the 1930's, was provided
piecemeal, and isn't very accurate.
• Their current mapping is on paper with points and polygons, with some boundaries not defined.
• Their data currently includes sites ("Terrestrial Archaeology Sites" data layer) and areas
("Terrestrial Archaeology Surveyed Areas" data layer) that have been surveyed and classifies them
as eligible or no specimens found.
• Much of the information has been captured from outside reports and has not been collected using
GPS, which is now their preference.
MEETING MINUTES
NCDCR Pre-GIS Seeping Meeting (April 15, 2009)
June 15, 2009
Page 4 of 4
• Most sites are not listed in the National Register given the associated effort, and many sites would
need to be reevaluated.
• Currently there are 379 sites reported in Lenoir County - mostly from Global Transpark work
effort. Five percent or less of the 379 sites were reported as eligible, 50 sites are surveyed areas.
All have site info entered into an Access database.
• Wyse Fork 1865 Battlefield is being presented for the National Register later this year.
• Mr. Claggett noted costs would include capture and conversion to digital format, and would not
include new surveys or predictive modeling creation. The predictive model would be helpful to
NCDOT in Alternative selection.
• Discussion then turned towards the efforts associated with converting existing data to an electronic
format. Two possibilities exist: addition of in-house staff or the utilization of a PEF. If a PEF is
used, it would be desired for the work to be performed at the DCR Archaeology offices.
• Mr. Claggett noted more recent data is currently available for Jones County.
• Given the potential for site vandals, site information available online would be provided at a
certain level of accuracy. More accurate data will be available by contacting Matt Wilkerson.
• It was noted there is interest in using a shared database for architectural and archaeological;
however, cost for required equipment has not been finalized and will be revisited in May of this
year.
• Mr. Claggett stated he felt the Archaeological work would be completed in the 12 month period
shown on the current schedule.
In closing, the group was asked if any other databases should be included on a high priority list. It was
suggested municipal boundaries would be beneficial.
Questions - What Happens Next?
Without any further questions, Brian Y. concluded the meeting stating that small group meetings will
continue in the future. Within the next three months, the start of study letters will be mailed with the
project scoping meeting to be held. It is anticipated the GIS Seeping meeting will then be held in July
2009.
Tim Johnson noted he will be in communication with both groups in order to further detail the
specifications to be used during the data collection and will also be contacting them regarding the
potential for new staff to perform the work or the use of a PEF.
cc: Attendees
File
MEETING MINUTES
To: Project File (STIP R-2553)
URS File 31826743
From: Chris Werner, PE
Date: June 15, 2009
RE: STIP Number R-2553, Kinston Bypass, Lenoir County, North Carolina
US 70 Kinston Bypass
WBS Number 34460
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - Fisheries
(NOAA-Fisheries) Pre-CIS Scoping Meeting, April 28, 2009,
NCDOT Transportation Bldg., Room 470
Attendees
Ron Sechler (via phone) NOAA-Fisheries - Beaufort
Fritz Rohde (via phone) NOAA-Fisheries - Beaufort
Robert Newton (via phone) NOAA-Fisheries - Charleston
Brian Yamamoto NCDOT Project Development
Mark Pierce NCDOT Project Development
James Tortorella Jr. NCDOT Project Development
Colin Mellor NCDOT Natural Environment
Morgan Weatherford NCDOT Natural Environment
Tim Johnson Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (CGIA)
David Giordano CGIA
Chris Werner URS
Jeff Weisner URS
Purpose
The purposes of the meeting were to:
• Introduce the Pilot GIS Process related to the normal project development process and identify
points of interest/concern.
• Introduce GIS data update schedule and relationship to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration Marine Fisheries Services (NOAA-Fisheries).
• Identify primary NOAA-Fisheries GIS data "heeds" for project decision making.
Meeting Summary
Items discussed are summarized below:
Brian Yamamoto began the meeting with introductions of those in attendance (see above list of
attendees).
Brian Y. continued by elaborating on the above purposes of the meeting and providing some
background on the interagency Leadership Team (ILT) and the Kinston Bypass GIS Pilot Project.
o The Pilot is part of the ILT initiative to streamline the project development process to
use GIS early in the alternative development and evaluation process and make
t
MEETING MINUTES
NOAA-Fisheries Pre-GIS Seeping Meeting (April 28, 2009)
June 15, 2009
Page 2 of 3
decisions on the Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative (LEDPA)
using GIS level data.
o FHWA is partially funding GIS data updates and is interested in the pilot projects and
their potential application to federally-funded highway projects.
o The ILT is interested in how other states are using GIS and functional level (rather than
preliminary level) designs in the decision-making process.
o GIS was used in the past in North Carolina; however, calculating project impacts from
that data was often problematic and gave inconsistent results. GIS data and technology
have since greatly improved. Additionally, NCDOT's definition of functional level
design has been standardized as well as impact calculation methods.
o PDEA sees great potential to use GIS in the NCDOT project development and Merger
processes with the benefit of reducing labor and time-intensive field studies and
multiple preliminary designs.
o The Carthage Bypass is a GIS pilot project that is already underway. The expanded
use of existing GIS data was introduced at Concurrence Point (CP) 2, Alternatives
Carried Forward for Detailed Studies.
o The Kinston Bypass Project provides the opportunity to update and use GIS from the
beginning of the project development process.
o While part of a statewide initiative is to update and centralize GIS data across North
Carolina, the focus of this pilot will be to develop a consistent set of data for Lenoir
County for the Kinston Bypass pilot project. Any other NCDOT projects initiated
within Lenoir County will also draw from the GIS data updated as part of this pilot.
o NCDOT and CGIA will be facilitating a series of GIS pre-scoping meetings such as
this meeting - which will be accomplished in smaller group meetings with each
agency.
o , Kinston Bypass Project update.
• Preparing Start of Study Letter
Developing plan to update/obtain GIS data layers - GIS updates should be
complete by September 2010 which coincides with the project timeline to
begin functional design.
• The intent is to follow the Merger process through LEDPA (Merger CP3) using
GIS data supplemented by field work.
Meetings have been held with divisions of the N.C. Department of
Environment and Natural Resources, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the N.C. Department of Cultural
Resources.
• Brian Y. asked if there were any questions.
• Ron Sechler inquired whether wetlands will be field-verified and modeled as part of the GIS pilot.
• Colin Mellor responded noting the Carthage Bypass Pilot Project identified the GIS stream and
NWI layers were inadequate. Current mapping includes analysis of Light Detection and Ranging
(LIDAR), slopes and depressions, etc. in order to identify potential wetland areas, which has
proven to be better than using the U.S. Geological Survey 24,000 series topographic quadrangles
for streams and wetlands.
• Colin noted the Kinston Bypass project will be more difficult than the Carthage Bypass project,
which is in the Piedmont region. He also noted that lessons learned from this project will be
available in January 2010.

MEETING MINUTES
NOAA-Fisheries Pre-GIS Scoping Meeting (April 28, 2009)
June 15, 2009
Page 3 of 3
o Mark Pierce described a study of the Crescent Road project impacts for N.C. Division
of Coastal Management (DCM) wetlands versus delineated wetlands, which yielded
similar accuracy. Mark will provide Robert and Ron a copy of the PowerPoint
Presentation, which summarizes the findings.
Tim Johnson noted originally there were 171 data layer updates requested, which was then
narrowed to 90. The 90 data layers were prioritized by the ILT agencies as either high, medium, or
low priority. The "high priority" layers will be the focus of the Lenoir County pilot project. Data
layer specifications will be prepared for each data layer. That information, along with a data
collection timeline, will be the basis for a Memorandum of Agreement for each agency responsible
for data collection. CGIA is also hoping to finalize the Memorandums of Agreement by
September 2009.
Tim then requested comments on the High Priority List or if the group felt anything was missing.
o It was noted that there should be a focus on Stream Mapping; however, the MFS
Stream mapping is incomplete with no identified near-term completion date.
o It was noted Anadromous Fish Spawning Areas should be added to the High-Priority
List.
o It was noted orthophotography is available as of 2008 for Lenoir County and more
localized photography for Kinston will be flown by NCDOT later this year.
o Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) habitat mapping is available from Albemarle /
Pamlico Estuarine Program for north and south of Cape Lookout. It was noted this
information is new and is currently being verified. Ron Sechler will provide James
Tortorella with contact information in order to obtain this data. It was also noted there
are plans to continually update this mapping given the dynamic nature of SAV.
o It was recommended that Land Cover should also be added to the High-Priority List.
The question was then raised how GIS can be used. It was explained this will be a work in
progress as it is difficult to anticipate all problems at this early stage of Scoping. Informational
meetings will be held as part of the Merger process during development of the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement.
It was also questioned whether there will be a statewide database from a NCDOT or CGIA
standpoint. The response was "hopefully and eventually." It is the ILT's desire that access to up-
to-date statewide GIS data be readily available to ILT agencies and others. FHWA is also
interested in the potential for using GIS for federally-funded projects to help streamline processes
for environmental impact statements and environmental assessments. It was noted that Pilot
Projects are a part of the TIP.
Without any other questions, Brian Y. concluded the meeting stating that small group meetings will
continue in the future. It is anticipated the GIS Scoping meeting will then be held in July 2009. The
Start of Study Letter will be mailed in May 2009 with anticipation that the Project Scoping Meeting
will be held in October 2009.
cc: Attendees
File
MEETING MINUTES
To: Project File (STIP R-2553)
URS File 31826743
From: Chris Werner, PE
Date: June 15, 2009
RE: STIP Number R-2553, Kinston Bypass, Lenoir County, North Carolina
US 70 Kinston Bypass
WBS Number 34460
US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Pre-GIS Scoping Meeting, April 23, 2009,
NCDOT Transportation Bldg., Room 470
Attendees
Elizabeth Porter USACE
William Wescott USACE
Donna Dancausse Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Susan Myers
Lawrence Abbott
Rob Hanson
Brian Yamamoto
Mark Pierce
James Tortorella Jr
Gary Lovering
Mary Pope Furr
Matt Wilkerson
LeiLaniPaugh
Elizabeth Lusk
NCDCR - Office of State Archaeology
NCDCR - Office of State Archaeology
NCDOT Project Development
NCDOT Project Development
NCDOT Project Development
NCDOT Project Development
NCDOT Roadway Design
NCDOT Human Environment
NCDOT Human Environment
NCDOT Natural Environment
NCDOT Natural Environment
Amy James NCDOT Natural Environment
Morgan Weatherford NCDOT Natural Environment
David Giordano Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (CGIA)
Tim Johnson CGIA
Roger Cottrell URS
Jeff Weisner URS
Purpose
The purposes of the meeting were to:
• Introduce the Pilot GIS Process related to the normal project development process and identify
points of interest/concern.
• Introduce GIS data update schedule and relationship to USACE
• Identify primary GIS data "heeds" for project decision making.
Meeting Summary
Items discussed are summarized below:
MEETING MINUTES
USACE Pre-GIS Seeping Meeting (April 23, 2009)
June 15, 2009
Page 2 of4
• Brian Yamamoto began the meeting with introductions of those in attendance (see above list of
attendees).
• Brian Y. continued by stating the above purposes of the meeting and providing some background
on the Interagency Leadership Team (ILT) and the Kinston Bypass GIS Pilot Project.
o The Pilot is part of the ILT initiative to streamline the project development process to
use GIS early in the alternative development and evaluation process and make
decisions on the Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative (LEDPA)
using GIS level data.
o FHWA is partially funding GIS data updates and is interested in the pilot projects and
their potential application to federally-funded highway projects.
o The ILT is interested in how other states are using GIS and functional level (rather than
preliminary level) designs in the decision-making process.
o GIS was used in the past in North Carolina, but calculating project impacts from that
data was often problematic and gave inconsistent results. GIS data and technology
have since greatly improved. Additionally, NCDOT's definition of functional level
design has been standardized as well as impact calculation methods.
o PDEA sees great potential to use GIS in the NCDOT project development and Merger
processes with the benefit of reducing labor and time-intensive field studies and
multiple preliminary designs.
o The Carthage Bypass is a GIS pilot project that is already underway. The expanded
use of existing GIS data was introduced at Concurrence Point 2, Alternatives Carried
Forward for Detailed Studies.
o The Kinston Bypass project provides the opportunity to update and use GIS from the
beginning of the project development process.
o While part of a statewide initiative is to update and centralize GIS data across North
Carolina, the focus of this pilot will be to develop a consistent set of data for Lenoir
County for the Kinston Bypass pilot project. Any other NCDOT projects initiated
within Lenoir County will also draw from the GIS data updated as part of this pilot.
o NCDOT and CGIA will be facilitating a series of GIS pre-scoping meetings such as
this meeting - these will be accomplished in smaller group meetings with each agency.
o Kinston Bypass Project update.
Preparing Start of Study Letter
Developing plan to update/obtain GIS data layers - GIS updates should be
complete by September 2010 which dovetails with the project timeline to begin
functional design.
• Hope to get through functional design and LEDPA (Merger Concurrence Point
3) using GIS data supplemented by field work.
Meetings are being held with other agencies to discuss GIS matters with
respect to the agencies' needs in decision making.
• Brian Y. asked if there were any questions.
• The Kinston Bypass is a state-funded project and USACE is the lead federal agency.
• Discussion focused on feedback from USACE and other stakeholders on the GIS data layer
requirements, suggestions on additional GIS layers required, etc., with a particular emphasis
on the comments of Elizabeth Porter and William Wescott (USACE).
• Brian stated that this is a state-funded project and that this is the beginning of the process.

MEETING MINUTES
USACE Pre-GIS Scoping Meeting (April 23, 2009)
June 15, 2009
Page 3 of 4
• Mark Pierce passed out the agenda and DRAFT schedule of the project. Brian discussed that
the start of study letter will be issued in the near future.
• There is a GIS Scoping Meeting tentatively scheduled for July of 2009 to include all federal
and state agency stakeholders. This meeting will be held to share the comments and
recommendations received during the various Pre-GIS Scoping Meetings, update the entire
team on progress made since the Pre-GIS Scoping meetings, and receive any additional input
on the proposed list of High Priority Layers to be used on the Kinston Bypass Project.
• Tim Johnson (CGIA) is in charge of managing the update of the GIS layers w/ assistance from
David Giordano.
• Updated GIS layers will dovetail into the project after the data collection process is complete.
• Tim Johnson stated that this has been a four-year process evolving into higher use of GIS for
transportation planning. The ILT originally identified a list of 171 data layers. This list was
narrowed down to 90 data layers where data collection was needed. The ILT agencies went
through a prioritization process, further narrowing the list into high, medium, and low
priorities. The "high priority" data layers will be the focus of the Lenior County pilot project.
• GIS layers will be updated between September 2009 and August 2010.
• Tim is confirming commitments from agencies with funds allocated to them and those that
will be updating their layers at no additional cost to this pilot study.
• Brian stated that there does not seem to be much disagreement over the proposed pilot process
proposing heavier use of GIS data and functional rather than preliminary design for LEDPA
selection.
• William stated that there is risk in getting to the wetland delineation after selection of a
LEDPA corridor and having a delineation result that is grossly mismatched to National
Wetland Inventory (NWI) Maps, and then having to back up and reevaluate all corridors. This
could cause a multi-year delay.
• NCDOT and CGIA have received similar comments from the N.C. Department of
Environment and Natural Resources - Division of Water Quality and others and acknowledge
this risk. NWI data comparison is inaccurate because the data has not been updated in a long
while (15-20 years). There are other wetland data layers that will likely be updated instead of
expending the cost to the update the NWI data.
• Tim Johnson stated that headwater streams are being updated by John Dorney of the DWQ.
• LeiLani stated that it might be a good idea to compile the comments received by the ILT
stakeholders concerning each high priority layer for distribution to everyone.
• Brian stated that the July 2009 GIS Seeping Meeting would generate this compilation.
• Tim stated that the proposed specification for each layer will be developed and each agency
will use this specification to generate their respective GIS layer updates.
• William stated that Environmental Justice (EJ) issues are considered as part of Concurrence
Point 3 and asked if that data need is being considered.
• Response was that the EJ issue had been discussed at a previous agency Pre-GIS Scoping
Meeting (EPA), and EJ will be considered regardless of the specific applications of GIS to aid
in EJ analysis.
• Mark stated that the human environment issues are critical and the public process will be
important with close coordination with CGIA. NCDOT's Community Studies Group will be
working to identify social and community issues early in the process.
MEETING MINUTES
USACE Pre-GIS Scoping Meeting (April 23, 2009)
June 15, 2009
Page 4 of 4
• Morgan questioned if NCDOT had determined an acceptable level of accuracy for
delineations. The risk is on NCDOT - accuracy is important for all data layers. Accuracy of
design and calculations are most important.
• Brian indicated that the level of accuracy will be determined during the development of the
scope for updating the data layers.
• Elizabeth Porter stated her concern that wetland delineations would be conducted in the out-
years of the project and that the relative quality of streams and wetlands would be accounted
for before the LEDPA decision is made.
• Brian stated that field verification would take place in the time frame of Concurrence Point
2A, Bridging Decisions.
• Mark stated that we will not be just using GIS screening to determine relative values of the
potentially-affected resources. Field reviews and ground-truthing will be necessary as we
work through the pilot process. The GIS Forensic Study, which was conducted for the
Crescent Road Project in Lenoir County, compared NWI mapping, Division of Coastal
Management wetland data, and field delineations, and determined that DCM data was fairly
accurate with respect to delineations and NWI mapping was not as accurate.
• Tim stated that'-it might be wise to invest $50k in DWQ to update wetlands with Light
Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) vs. spending $28k to update the NWI mapping.
• Someone stated that the DWQ updates could possibly feed the NWI update.
• Tim posed a question to the group to consider the data needs if we look at the state as a whole.
o Elizabeth Porter would like to see updated stream mapping across the state similar
to the 19 mountain counties completed in 2006.
o Elizabeth also stated that orthophotography and LIDAR are two of the most useful
data layers to have statewide.
• Mark P. -SEPA Scoping Meeting
o Will be inviting the Merger Process Team to the Project Scoping Meeting
o "roll up the sleeves" scoping meeting (October 2009)
• Elizabeth Porter asked Tim if updating cadastral surveys was necessary
o Tim stated parcel data is complete and accessible for Lenoir County
• The meeting was concluded at approximately 3:15 PM.
cc: Attendees
File
MEETING MINUTES
To: Project File (STIP R-2553)
URS File 31826743
From: Jeffrey Weisner, AICP
Date: June 15, 2009
RE: STIP Number R-2553, Kinston
US 70 Kinston Bypass
WBS Number 34460
Bypass, Lenoir County, North Carolina
iJIi.S
NC Division of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR) Pre-GIS Scoping
Meeting, March 27, 2009,
NCDOT Transportation Bldg., Room 470
Attendees
Donna Dancausse
Rob Ayers
Amy Simes
Brian Wrenn
David Wainwright
Sean McKenna (via telephone)
Travis Wilson
Tim Johnson
David Giordano
Brian Yamamoto
Mark Pierce
James Tortorella Jr.
Roger Cottrell
Jeff Weisner
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
FHWA
NCDENR
NCDENR, Division of Water Quality (DWQ)
NCDENR,DWQ
NCDENR, Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF)
NCDENR, Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC)
Center for Geographic Information and Analysis
(CGIA)
CGIA
NCDOT Project Development
NCDOT Project Development
NCDOT Project Development
URS
URS
Purpose
The purposes of the meeting were to:
• Introduce the Pilot GIS Process related to the normal project development process and identify
points of interest/concern.
Introduce GIS data update schedule and relationship to DENR divisions.
Identify primary NCDENR GIS data "needs" for project decision making.
Meeting Summary
Items discussed are summarized below:
• Brian Yamamoto began the meeting with introductions of those in attendance (see above list of
attendees).
• Brian Y. continued by stating the above purposes of the meeting and providing some background
on the Interagency Leadership Team (ILT) and the Kinston Bypass GIS Pilot Project.
MEETING MINUTES
NCDENR Pre-GIS Scoping Meeting (March 27, 2009)
June 15, 2009
Page 2of5
o The Pilot is part of the ILT initiative to streamline the project development process to
use GIS early in the alternative development and evaluation process and make
decisions on the Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative (LEDPA)
using GIS level data.
o FHWA is partially funding GIS data updates and is interested in the pilot projects and
their potential application to federally-funded highway projects.
o The ILT is interested in how other states are using GIS and functional level (rather than
preliminary level) designs in the decision-making process.
o GIS was used in the past in North Carolina, but calculating project impacts from that
data was often problematic and gave inconsistent results. GIS data and technology
have since greatly improved. Additionally, NCDOT's definition of functional level
design has been standardized as well as impact calculation methods.
o PDEA sees great potential to use GIS in the NCDOT project development and Merger
processes with the benefit of reducing labor and time-intensive field studies and
multiple preliminary designs.
o The Carthage Bypass is a GIS pilot project that is already underway. The expanded
use of existing GIS data was introduced at Concurrence Point 2, Alternatives Carried
Forward for Detailed Studies.
o The Kinston Bypass project provides the opportunity to update and use GIS from the
beginning of the project development process.
o While part of a statewide initiative is to update and centralize GIS data across North
Carolina, the focus of this pilot will be to develop a consistent set of data for Lenoir
County for the Kinston Bypass pilot project. Any other NCDOT projects initiated
within Lenoir County will also draw from the GIS data updated as part of this pilot.
o NCDOT and CGIA will be facilitating a series of GIS pre-Scoping meetings such as
this meeting - these will be accomplished in smaller group meetings with each agency.
o Kinston Bypass Project update.
• Preparing Start of Study Letter
• Developing plan to update/obtain GIS data layers - GIS updates should be
complete by September 2010 which dovetails with the project timeline to begin
functional design.
• Hope to get through functional design and LEDPA (Merger Concurrence Point
3) using GIS data supplemented by field work.
• Brian Y. asked if there were any questions.
• Rob Ayers commented, wanting to reinforce the idea of agencies realizing the value of using
II robust GIS data for project development.
o Funding the effort has been slow.
o FHWA and NCDOT see the value in saving field work time and design time.
o ILT needs to have a project to demonstrate a business case to the legislature for
funding statewide GIS data updates.
o Carthage Bypass is one of the other pilot projects, however, it was dropped in at
Concurrence Point 2, not the beginning.
o NCDOT is funding development of the high priority layers needed for Lenoir County.
o If we can't get to LEDPA using GIS then FHWA will drop out of ILT's bid to the
legislature for funding.
MEETING MINUTES
NCDENR Pre-GIS Scoping Meeting (March 27, 2009)
June 15, 2009
Page 3 of 5
o We don't need to be highly accurate in our analysis of impacts but we do need a high
level of relative comparison.
o It is understood that additional data collection, other than GIS, will be used to support
GIS data and the decision making process.
• Travis Wilson was involved in the earlier effort to develop a GIS data list.
• Brian Wrenn asked if all of the factors that are currently considered in the Merger decision process
will be used.
o Response by Brian Y. was yes the same information set - wetlands, streams, cultural
resources, threatened and endangered species, etc - would be evaluated.
• Tim Johnson provided background and context for the GIS initiative and distributed two handouts:
Interagency Leadership Team, Some DENR GIS Layer Descriptions, March 2009 and ILT GIS:
Cost of High Priority Layers for Lenoir County. The latter listed 31 data layers. CGIA is
preparing specifications for each data layer and is responsible for collecting GIS data and
ultimately establishing the Statewide database as part of the NC OneMap program.
• The remainder of the meeting was focused on addressing each of the numbered high priority layers
listed on the handout for their relevance to the project development and Merger process, agency
responsibilities with respect to providing/updating data, and evaluate if the current timeline and
costs for obtaining data could be met.
• Attendees thought that it would be good to consolidate layers and have metadata available to be
able to identify overlapping layers (e.g., NWI Mapping vs. Streams & Wetlands);
1. Conservation Easements - boundaries should be sufficient for LEDPA decision;
updated annually and available; would be good to consolidate layers and have metadata
available to identify overlapping layers (e.g., mitigation sites vs. land trust).
2. Conservation Tax Credit Properties - use of boundaries is adequate; updated annually
and available.
3. CREP Properties - available with updating, cost should not be an issue.
5. Gamelands - data "officially" updated annually; relative value is not captured in data;
NCWRC to ensure that gamelands are updated for this project.
6. Headwater Streams - data indicates origins and not the points between perennial and
intermittent streams. EPA is also funding efforts to map streams. Funding sources should
be reevaluated with NCDENR. Mapping of streams should be started soon due to volume
of data. Ground-truthing and use of aerials (Lenoir County aerials were recently updated)
and LIDAR can be used to determine relative quality. CGIA needs to include a
specification for stream work and will work with DWQ to define the purpose and scope of
the Headwater Streams effort and the Stream Mapping effort to show that the two efforts
are complementary and not duplicative.
7. Hydrography, Major - A combination of #6, Headwater Streams, and #22, Stream
Mapping, will supersede this layer.
8. & 9. Land Trust Properties and Lands Managed for Conservation and Open Space
- CGIA will work with Amy Simes to assemble this data.
10. & 11. NPDES Sites, Major and Minor - data includes discharge points and treatment
facilities which show up as points, not polygons. These latitude/longitude points may not
MEETING MINUTES
NCDENR Pre-GIS Seeping Meeting (March 27, 2009)
June 15, 2009
Page 4 of 5
be well defined in terms of accuracy. Spray field locations would be useful but will be
hard to determine polygons since these areas could radiate outward variable distance from
point locations.
12. Natural Heritage Element Occurrence Sites - updated annually; NHP maintains the
public database and WRC maintains the master database.
13. NC-CREWS - program was disbanded, any existing data might be useful.
14. & 15. Off- and On-site Mitigation Sites - CGIA will rely on NCDOT for On-Site
Mitigation Sites data, meeting is scheduled with the NCDOT Natural Environment Unit
the week of March 30, 2009. The DENR Ecosystem Enhancement Program (EEP) is
responsible for Off-Site Mitigation Sites. CGIA will contact them regarding data
collection for that layer.. Private mitigation sites are not accounted for and data source
should be found.
16. Public Water Supply Resources - this information comes from the Division of
Environmental Health.
18. Significant Natural Heritage Areas - data updated quarterly but it is very difficult to
collect accurate information on these areas. The conclusion was that the data is worth
having but effects should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
19. Soils, Detailed County Soil Survey - This information will be useful in Lenoir
County for comparing blue line streams versus agricultural ditches.
20. State Parks - Consider inclusion of Land and Water Conservation Fund Section 6(f)
expenditure locations as an attribute to State Parks or as a separate layer. NCDENR
maintains a list of sites.
21. Strategic Conservation Planning - may be able to use "NC ONE" map as data
source. CGIA will work with Amy Simes at DENR. Mapping tool will be demonstrated at
FHWA on March 30, 2009.
22. Stream Mapping - mapping effort to complete this data set is intensive. A private
consultant will be used to collect data in the same manner that the stream mapping data in
the 19 western NC counties was collected.
28. Wetland Types - not applicable to this project.
29. Wetlands - discussion of how this relates to National Wetland Inventory (NWI)
wetlands. NWI mapping is used for general wetland location approximation information
and not relied upon for accuracy. This may replace the NWI layer, but NWI is maintained
by USFWS and discussions should be held with that agency to determine how they would
like NWI data to be updated in this process.
30. Wetlands, NWI - see above.
31. Wild and Scenic River - there are only a few of these in the state. Information can be
obtained from the Nationwide Rivers Inventory
• Tim asked if there were any layers that are not listed that should be included.
o Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Section 6(f) as identified above.
r
MEETING MINUTES
NCDENR Pre-GIS Scoping Meeting (March 27, 2009)
June 15, 2009
Page 5 of 5
o Anadromous Fish Spawning Areas - Division of Marine Fisheries will provide data;
can be coordinated with NCWRC also.
o Section 4(t) sites
o Inland Primary Nursery Areas - data exists but not in GIS database; would be good to
have. WRC will provide data.
o Critical Habitat for Endangered Species
o Consider adding Public Access Boat Ramps
• Brian Y. concluded the meeting stating that small group meetings will continue; pre-Scoping
meetings with the Army Corps and Historic Preservation will be held in the near future. A large
GIS Scoping meeting will be held in July 2009.
cc: Attendees
File