United States Department of the Interior
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
WUPATKI – SUNSET CRATER VOLCANO – WALNUT CANYON
NATIONAL MONUMENTS
6400 N. Highway 89,
Flagstaff, Arizona 86004

IN REPLY REFER TO:

L7617 (FLAG-RM)

September 12, 2005

Dear Interested Party,

Subject:  Proposed Fire Cache/Maintenance/Resource Facility at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument

Reference:  Request for Comments on Initial Proposed Action (General Scoping)

The National Park Service (NPS) is in the initial stages of planning for a Fire Cache/Maintenance facility at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument.  This project would be located at the Sunset Crater Volcano Administrative Site (see attached maps).
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument was proclaimed a national monument in 1930.  Infrastructure for the monument was constructed during the Mission 66 era in the mid to late 1960s and provides limited work and storage space for maintenance, fire, and resource management activities.  The limited work and storage space has led to inefficient operations and unsafe work environments for employees.  Infrastructure at Sunset Crater Volcano includes a visitor center/ maintenance complex and employee housing area.  The complex was determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places through a consensus determination of eligibility between the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service in February 2004.

Purpose and Need for Action:  The purpose of the proposed fire, maintenance, and resource facility is to correct unsafe work conditions and improve operational efficiency by consolidating equipment and employee work spaces. 
Proposed Action:  As proposed, the facility would consist of approximately 12,000 square feet of work and storage space.  The location and size of the facility is based on recommendations made in the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument General Management Plan (2004), draft Fire Management Plan, and space analysis prepared by an NPS architect working in coordination with park staff.     
Before we begin the environmental analysis for this project, we would like to hear your viewpoints on the action and any issues or concerns you have regarding the proposal.  Please send your comments to the address below, or email Palma Wilson, at FLAG_Superintendent@nps.gov, or through the internet at: http://parkplanning.nps.gov.  To submit comments in this manner select “Flagstaff Areas” from the drop down box and then follow the link for the Sunset Crater Volcano Fire Cache and Maintenance and Resource Facility project.  Please comment no later than October 15, 2005.  

Flagstaff Area National Monuments
Attn:  Palma Wilson, Superintendent 
6400 N. Hwy 89
Flagstaff, Arizona 86004

Please be aware that names and addresses of respondents may be released if requested under the Freedom of Information Act.  Our practice is to make comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular business hours.  Individuals may request that we withhold their home address from the record, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law.  There also may be circumstances in which we would withhold from the record a respondent’s identity, as allowable by law.  If you wish us to withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your comment.  We will make all submissions from organizations or businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.  Anonymous comments may be included in the public record.  However, the National Park Service is not legally required to consider or respond to anonymous comments.
We appreciate your input on this proposal.  If you have any questions regarding this project, please call Jeri DeYoung, Compliance Program Manager, at 526-1157.

Sincerely,

/s/Palma E. Wilson
Superintendent

Enclosure

If you would like to receive a hard copy of the Environmental Assessment (EA) for this project when it is complete, please contact Palma Wilson at 928-526-1157 or at Palma_Wilson@nps.gov, or at 6400 N. Hwy 89, Flagstaff, Arizona 86004, and a copy will be sent to you during the comment period.  If you do not respond to this request, a hard copy of the EA will not be sent to you.  However, please be aware that this EA (when complete) and other environmental documents are routinely available for your review at http://parkplanning.nps.gov, “Flagstaff Areas”