October 01, 2007The future location of a 600 room Great Wolf Lodge in Forsyth County will certainly make an impact on Mary Alice Park.The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is already conducting an environmental assessment of the project and asking for public comments. All comments on the plan should be received no later than Oct. 15.The Corps will utilize comments in their decision whether or not to commence with the plan.
Comments on the environmental assessment of Mary Alice Park should be directed to Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, ATTN: PD-EI, PO Box 2288, Mobile, Alabama 36628-0001 or via e-mail
talmedge.k.burge@usace.army.mil . Comments should be received no later than Oct. 15.
The study requires an update of the Mary Alice Park Master Plan which shows the removal and relocation of a public boat ramp and parking area as well as the construction of the hotel and 960 parking spaces.A public beach will also be constructed at an alternate location to mitigate for the loss of public beach area at the Project Site prior to the open (summer) season, after construction at the Project Site is initiated.Approximately 300,000 cubic yards of excess fill would be hauled off from the Project Site as part of initial grading activities associated with the proposed developments. This action is addressed in a Draft EA, prepared pursuit to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Council on Environmental Quality regulatory guidance in 40 CFR 1500-1508, and the USACE regulatory guidance in 33 CFR 230. The Draft EA document is available for public review and comments and has been posted on the Mobile District public access website at the following location:
http://www.sam.usace.army.mil/pd/Pd1.htmUpon completion of the 15-day public coordination period set forth in this notice, the EA will be finalized and the final determination of the NEPA documentation requirements made. If the determination is to finalize the EA and prepare a Finding of No Significant Impact, these documents will be placed on the file in the Mobile District Office for further reference.The decision whether to proceed with the proposed action will be based on the evaluation of the probable impact, including cumulative impacts of the proposed activity on the public interest. The decision will reflect the national concern for both protection and utilization of important resources.The benefits that may be reasonably expected to accrue for the proposal must be balanced against its reasonably foreseeable detriments. All factors which may be relevant to the proposal will be considered, including the cumulative effects thereof: conservation, economics, aesthetics, general environmental concerns, wetlands, historic properties, fish and wildlife values, floodplain values, land use, navigation, recreation, energy needs,
# posted by
Brian Vanderhoff @ 5:40 PM
