Canton Final Public Notice: Town Hall

Canton -- The Town of Canton has applied for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance (PA) Program funding through the North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM) as a sub-recipient.

Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), federal actions must be reviewed and evaluated for feasible alternatives and for social, economic, historic, environmental, legal, and safety considerations. Under Executive Order (EO) 11988 and EO 11990, FEMA is required to consider alternatives and to provide a

public notice of any proposed actions in or affecting floodplains or wetlands. EO 12898 also requires FEMA to provide the opportunity for public participation in the planning process and to consider potential impacts to minority and low-income populations. This notice may also fulfill requirements under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).

Funding for the proposed project will be conditional upon compliance with all applicable federal, tribal, state, and local laws, regulations, floodplain standards, permit requirements and conditions.

Sub-Applicant: Town of Canton
Project Title:[PN 435086] Town Hall; PA-04-NC-4617-PW-00167

Special Flood Hazard Area Zone:
This project is for the demolition and removal of the existing Town Hall and Police Station building, which is located in an AE zone. In addition to the demolition and removal work, the Town Hall and Police Station services will be relocated to existing buildings located outside of the floodplain or within an Unshaded X zone. Confirmation of the existing Town Hall and Police Station location in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) was determined by the Haywood County Effective Flood Insurance Rate Map, Panel Number: 3700865700J dated 4/3/2012. Confirmation of the new Town Hall and Police Station locations outside of the SFHA was also determined by the Haywood County Effective Flood Insurance Rate Map, Panel Number: 3700865700J dated 4/3/2012. The proposed work conforms to all applicable State of North Carolina and local floodplain regulations. The proposed work will not take place in wetland per the United States Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory and will have no potential to impact or affect wetland values.

Proposed Work and Purpose:
The Town of Canton will demolish and remove the existing Town Hall and Police Station building and relocate the services to existing buildings located at 401 Main Street, Canton, NC and 138 Academy Street, Canton, NC, which will serve as the new Police Station and Town Hall, respectively. No exterior modifications or ground disturbance is expected at the new locations however interior renovations will occur, such as secure area upgrades at the new Police Station and conference room, bathroom and building access upgrades at the new Town Hall. The existing Town Hall and Police Station building location is anticipated to be a public park after demolition. The purpose of this project is to demolish and remove the existing Town Hall and Police Station building and relocate the services to existing locations outside of the floodplain, which will help to restore and preserve the natural and beneficial floodplain values and minimize future damage. 

Project Alternatives:
Alternative #1 (No action alternative): The ‘no action’ alternative would ultimately result in a negative impact on the community. If the Town Hall and Police Station services were not relocated out of the floodplain, future similar damage may occur in addition to economic and social impacts. 

Alternative #2 (Repair in-kind): The “repair in-kind” alternative would result in a negative impact to the community as this alternative could result in the same previous vulnerabilities. Relocating the Town Hall and Police Station services will allow them to be outside the floodplain and minimize future damage. Additionally, the demolition and removal of the existing Town Hall and Police Station building will support the natural and beneficial values of the floodplain through the restoration of open space use. 

Comment Period:
Comments are solicited from the public; local, state or federal agencies, and other interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the impacts of the proposed project. The comments should be made in writing and addressed to:

FEMA Internal 11988 Reviewer FEMA Region 4
3005 Chamblee-Tucker Road
Atlanta, Georgia, 30341

Alternatively, comments may be emailed to: FEMA-R4EHP@fema.dhs.gov. Please send comments with the subject line [DR-4617-NC-00104 11988 COMMENT].

All comments are due by no later than 30 days of the posted date of this notice.