PUBLIC NOTICE
Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment Report Regarding
Schoharie County Public Safety Facility Project
Town of Schoharie, Schoharie County, New York
FEMA-4020- DR-NY
Notification is hereby given to the public of the intent of the Department of Homeland Security-Federal Emergency
Management Agency (DHS-FEMA) to provide Federal financial assistance to New York State Division of Homeland
Security and Emergency Services (NYSDHSES), as Recipient, and Schoharie County, as Subrecipient, for the
construction of a new County Correctional and Public Safety Facility and extension of public water and sewer lines to
provide service to the new facility. The Schoharie County Correctional and Public Safety Facility was damaged as a result
of flooding and storm damage during Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in late August and early September, 2011.
Flooding resulting from the event rendered the Schoharie County Public Safety Facility, located at 157 Depot Lane in the
Village of Schoharie, Schoharie County, New York 12157, unusable for its intended purpose. President Barack H. Obama
declared the storm incident period a major disaster on August 31, 2011 (FEMA 4020-DR- NY). This declaration makes
federal disaster assistance available to affected communities and certain nonprofit organizations in accordance with the
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act of 1974 (Stafford Act; 42 U.S.C. 5172), as amended.
The proposed action involves the construction of a new approximately 67,000 square-foot County Correctional Facility
and Public Safety Facility (PSF) at a new location to replace the substantially flood-damaged, evacuated, and now
partially closed 80,000 square-foot facility, as well as the extension of public water and sanitary sewer facilities to serve
the new facility. The new facility is proposed to be constructed at 373 Howe’s Cave Road in the Town of Schoharie,
Schoharie County, New York and will include, but not be limited to, the following functions and spaces: 65-75 inmate
capacity jail and supportive facilities; Sheriff’s Office (Road Patrol, Administration and supportive facilities); Probation
Department; District Attorney’s Office; connectivity to the Schoharie County 911 Call Center / Emergency Operations
Center (located elsewhere) with a free-standing antenna on site (approximately 120 feet in height), paper records storage
area and additional swing space to provide for continuity of government and training. Public water and sewer lines will be
extended from the Town and Village of Cobleskill to the proposed new facility from existing connection points along
NYS Route 7, proceeding via easements across private properties and underneath Cobleskill Creek, then along Howe’s
Cave Road to the project site.
In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), an Environmental Assessment (EA) has been
prepared to assess the potential impacts of the proposed action on the human environment. DHS-FEMA’s requirement of
addressing floodplain management and wetlands protection in accordance with 44 CFR Part 9 is incorporated within the
EA. The EA is available for public comment, and comments can be sent via email to FEMA4020-
4031Comment@fema.dhs.gov. The EA will be available for download from the FEMA website at
http://www.fema.gov/resource-document- library and can be viewed in hard copy at the Schoharie County Offices, Clerk
of the Board of Supervisors, 3 rd Floor, 284 Main Street, Schoharie, NY 12157.
The comment period will end 30 days after the date of this legal notice publication in Times Journal and Mountain Eagle
newspapers. Written comments on the EA can be mailed or e-mailed to the contact below. If no substantive comments are
received, the EA will become final and a Finding of No Significant Impact will be signed. Substantive comments will be
addressed as appropriate in the final documents. Contact DHS-FEMA Region II, Office of Environmental Planning &
Historic Preservation, Leo O’Brien Building 11A Clinton Avenue, Suite 742, Albany New York 12207 or via email at
FEMA4020-4031COMMENT@fema.dhs.gov.
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