How can the public participate in this process?
A public Scoping Meeting for the RML Master Plan Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was held on March 23, 2006 in Hamilton, Montana at the Hamilton High School from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. The meeting began with an "open house" or poster session that was held from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm during which ORF representatives were available to answer general questions about the master plan and National Environmental Policy Act processes. From 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm there was an official Scoping Meeting to receive comments on alternatives and issues the public believed NIH should address in the master plan and EIS.
The meeting is part of the 45-day public scoping period, which began with publication of a Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS in the Federal Register on March 3, 2006.
ScopingMeetingPresentation32006.ppt
Why does RML need a Master Plan?
Currently, there is no long-term master plan for RML to coordinate the physical development of the campus. The new Plan will help NIH and NIAID determine how the campus should evolve over the next 20 years to meet current and future research needs while minimizing effects on adjacent neighborhoods and the Hamilton City infrastructure. In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services now requires its Operating Divisions (e.g. NIH) to prepare and maintain master plans for campuses under their control. The Master Plan will satisfy this requirement.
Who is involved in the master planning process?
As part of the public involvement program, NIH will be providing periodic briefings to the Hamilton City Council, the Ravalli County Commission, the RML Community Liaison Group, staff at RML, and the neighbors who live in close proximity to the campus. The intent is to encourage open dialogue and involve a broad base of constituencies in the planning process. Current and easily retrievable information about the Plan will be available on this web site and other mechanisms. Those interested in the Master Plan are encouraged to visit this web page on a regular basis to obtain current information.
An RML Master Plan Steering Committee has been formed to help guide and oversee the development of the Plan. This group, comprised of senior NIH, NIAID, and RML officials, will serve as a sounding board for planning ideas and Master Plan items to be developed by the Project Team. They include:
- NIAID, Acting Director, Division of Intramural Research
- NIAID, Associate Director, Rocky Mountain Laboratories
- NIAID, Business and Program Manager, Rocky Mountain Laboratories
- ORF, Director, Division of Facilities Planning
- ORF, Director, Division of Environmental Protection
- ORS, Director, Division of Physical Security Management
- ORS, Associate Director, Scientific Resources;
The Project Team consists of:
- Division of Facilities Planning, ORF, NIH (Master Planner)
- Western Regional Director, ORF, NIH
- Chief, Environmental Quality Branch, Division of Environmental Protection, ORF, NIH (EIS)
- LSY Architects (Project Management Consultant)
- Oudens and Knoop (Master Planning Consultant)
- Architects Design Group (Planning and Utilities Consultant)
- Maxim Technologies (EIS Consultant)
What are the major master planning/EIS milestones?
Hold RML Master Plan NEPA Scoping Meeting—March 23, 2006
Conduct RML Master Plan Community Workshop—May 5, 2007
Prepare Draft Master Plan and Draft EIS—summer/fall 2008
Issue Notice of Availability of RML Master Plan Draft EIS—fall 2008
Hold Public Hearing on Draft EIS—fall 2008
Prepare Final Master Plan and EIS—early 2009
Issue Record of Decision (ROD)—spring 2009
http://nems.nih.gov/aspects/nat_resources/programs/nepa.cfm
Community Workshop Upcoming
An RML Master Plan Community Workshop was held Saturday, May 5, 2007 at the Hamilton High School, Commons Room. The purpose of the meeting was to provide a forum for exchange between the RML campus planners and local residents, both to provide a better understanding of the Master Plan and to invite the public’s ideas on the early plan concepts. If you want to know more about this meeting, please contact either Ron Wilson or Pat Stewart at the telephone numbers listed below.
What is the Status of the RML Master Plan as of October 2008?
The planning team completed the RML Master Plan program, working in conjunction with RML and NIAID in summer 2007. Projected program and facility needs were arranged in phased development increments spanning a 20-year planning horizon, ending in 2025. These requirements were used as a basis for refining the plan.
In summer 2007 the team finalized the preliminary Draft RML Master Plan taking into consideration information from the Community Workshop and additional data developed by RML on campus requirements since early 2007 when NIH selected the “Low Growth” option as the basis for the Master Plan. This document was reviewed by the HHS Capital Investment Review Board in spring 2008 and authorized for release to the public for comment in spring 2008.
The concepts contained in the Draft RML Master Plan are aligned with the "planning goals" presented at the March 23, 2006 Scoping Meeting, and which were shared with local residents at the Community Workshop. Chief among these is protecting the integrity of the surrounding residential neighborhood. As noted in both these meetings, the goals and planning principles provide structure for future campus planning decisions, including those related to the architectural treatment of future buildings on the campus, landscape and open space improvements and patterns; development density zones and community buffers; functional relationships between activities; and public access, orientation and parking.
Description of RML Draft Master Plan Concept
As part of the process of developing the RML Master Plan, the planning team, in collaboration with NIAID and RML, developed specific proposals for accommodating anticipated RML personnel and space growth through 2025 assuming the campus borders would be expanded as a result of land acquisition for increased security. The following are the major “program” elements that comprise the Draft Master Plan along with a brief description of each of them.
New construction would potentially include:
· A new 34,300 gross square foot (gsf) one-story, plus basement, animal holding and research facility (Building B) located adjacent to the existing Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch facilities in Buildings 13 and 25;
· A new one-story, plus basement, maintenance and general storage building (Building C) of approximately 30,300 gsf located in the southwest corner of the site. This facility would consolidate functions currently housed in a number of smaller service buildings dispersed throughout the site;
· A new, one-story, long term storage facility of approximately 4,000 gsf, with an outside screened storage yard, to temporarily store items such as recycled waste, general waste, and surplus equipment awaiting donation or removal from campus;
· A facility to house medical pathological waste (Building E) prior to it being burned in the campus incinerator. The planned building would be 4,800 gsf in size;
· Elimination of the east power generator building located near the campus entrance and the expansion of the existing west power station (Building F) by 2,000 gsf to consolidate generators and provide for anticipated additional electrical loads and required fuel oil storage;
· A new two-story, plus basement, laboratory building of approximately 58,700 gsf (Building G) located west of the new Integrated Research Facility (IRF) building;
· A future addition to Building 31 to provide a 11,800 gsf Central Stock Room (Building H) and a 3,500 gsf Seminar Room (Building J);
· The development of an interpretive center on a future site to be acquired on the northeast edge of the campus (in a remodeled log home). The facility would house exhibits and other information on the history of RML and would contain separate parking facilities for visiting school groups and others.
The Draft Master Plan also includes roadway and landscape improvements; the relocation of service activities from the campus central core; renovation of space in Buildings 8, 9 and 11 for storage and other low-occupancy uses, and the conversion of Building 7 for research activities; demolition of Buildings 12, 16 and 17 near the south edge of the campus; creation of a new Central Pedestrian Concourse in the center of campus; and expansion of parking capacity to accommodate planned staff.
DRAFT MASTER PLAN
Rocky Mountain Laboratories
Campus
Hamilton, Montana
September 2008
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