National Desert Storm War Memorial EA Site Selection Public Scoping, Comments, and Report (6/23-7/24)


The National Desert Storm War Memorial (NDSWM) Association, in cooperation with the National Park Service (NPS), proposes to establish a permanent memorial to commemorate and honor those who, as a member of the Armed Forces, served on active duty in support of Operation Desert Storm or Operation Desert Shield. The United States Congress authorized, in Public Law 113-291, the establishment of the memorial on federal land in the District of Columbia. In Public Law 115-18, the United States Congress authorized the location of the memorial within Area I as defined under the Commemorative Works Act. The memorial must be consistent with the Commemorative Works Act which ensures that commemorative works in areas administered by the NPS in Washington, D.C. are appropriately designed, constructed, and located.

Two sites have been identified for consideration as a site for the National Desert Storm War Memorial: the Memorial Circle Area at George Washington Memorial Parkway on Columbia Island and the Constitution Avenue Terminus Area near 23rd Street NW. Both sites are located in Washington, D.C. The Memorial Circle Area site is administered by the George Washington Memorial Parkway unit (GWMP). The Constitution Avenue Terminus Area site is administered by the National Mall and Memorial Parks unit (NAMA). As part of this proposal, the NDSWM Association will design and construct a memorial at the selected site (a site will be selected under the first scoping period and design will be addressed under a second scoping period). The NPS will be responsible for its long-term maintenance.

The initial scoping will help choose a preferred site to be carried forward into site design. If issues arise after the identification of the preferred that would not allow for the chosen site to be considered, the alternative site would then be carried forward and the compliance process would be adjusted accordingly.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the NPS will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will address the memorial's site selection and design. The NPS intends to coordinate consultation and NEPA review per Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) regulations (36 CFR 800.8) and to consult the public per 36 CFR 800.3(e) in public meetings and through our Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website- http://parkplanning.nps.gov/ndswm.

It is anticipated that these outreach efforts will accommodate both NEPA and the Section 106 processes, although NEPA and the Section 106 processes are on two separate, but parallel tracks. The NPS will hold the first NEPA public scoping and the initial Section 106 meeting for the memorial's site selection from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on July 12, 2017 at 2020 K Street NW, Washington, DC. Greeters will meet attendees in the lobby of the building and escort attendees to the meeting room. The NPS will hold a second NEPA and Section 106 public scoping meeting for the design of the memorial in the fall 2017.
 
Comment Period: Closed        Jun 23, 2017 - Jul 24, 2017
Document Content:
USACE,NDSWMcoopagncyLttr.pdf   (54.0 KB, PDF file)
NDSWM_PEPC_All Correspondences.pdf   (714.0 KB, PDF file)
NPS toUSACE,NDSWMcoopagncylttr.pdf   (233.9 KB, PDF file)
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