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Grafton Middle School
Stafford County, Virginia

Showcases:
Grafton Middle School
Sandy Bottom Nature Park
Powhite Parkway Improvements

As part of the open-end contract with Stafford County School Board, Williamsburg Environmental Group, Inc. (WEG) performed extensive environmental services for the Grafton Middle School site located in Stafford County. Responsibilities included: VSMP (formerly VPDES) permitting, Regulatory Support, T & E Species Surveying, Agency Coordination, Water Quality Impact Assessment (WQIA), Cultural Resources Coordination, Joint Permit Application (JPA), Wetland Delineation, and Corps Submittal and Confirmation.

In compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act WEG accessed archival information from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) through both their online database and archives.  This information was presented to the agencies in the Joint Permit Application.

WEG coordinated with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation – Division of Natural Heritage (DCR), to determine the known presence of any protected species within the project limits.  This phase of coordination involved archival searches of existing database resources both online and through DCR’s and DGIF’s databases.  This information was presented to the agencies in the Joint Permit Application.

WEG prepared and submitted a Joint Permit Application for verification under a State Program General Permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and a Virginia Water Protection Permit from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).  This task involved coordination with DEQ and the Corps prior to submitting the JPA and the compilation and submission of the JPA including relevant permit support information.  The application will addressed the 404b(1) guidelines, in order to demonstrate that the project team attempted to avoid and minimize impacts to the greatest extent practicable.  The permit application was for impacts associated with the construction of a middle school, athletic fields, access roads, a stormwater management pond, required parking, and associated utility infrastructure.  Once the JPA had been submitted, WEG provided regulatory support throughout the permitting process, including coordination with DEQ and the Corps, as well as responding to questions and concerns introduced by the permitting agencies throughout the process.  The proposed coordination, both pre- and post-submittal, included responding to agency requests for information, as necessary, in an effort to obtain the SPGP and VWP General Permits. 

Construction began at Grafton Middle School in April 2004.  In addition to the VSMP (Virginia Stormwater Management Program) permitting (formerly VPDES) for the construction, WEG compiled a Regulatory Compliance Notebook for the project and provided copies to both the Stafford County School and the site contractors.  This notebook contained copies of all environmental permits and documents, checklists of required compliance documents and their due dates, contact information for all parties involved in the regulatory process, and other pertinent information required to be onsite.  WEG also notified the appropriate regulatory agencies of the anticipated construction start date and coordinated the exchange of required mitigation, preservation, and legal restrictive covenant documentation between the agencies and the School System. 

Construction monitoring reports were required as a condition of the Department of Environmental Quality's (DEQ) permit issued for this project.  These reports provide the DEQ with information on construction within permitted wetland impact areas, as well as construction progress across the site. WEG's Construction Administration Team staff conducted regularly scheduled site inspections to photo document construction activities and permit compliance at each of the seven permitted wetland impacts on the site.  Communication between the site contractors, the School System's representatives and WEG staff ensured that the contractors worked within the restraints of the environmental permits and the approved plans, so that the photographs of wetland impacts could be taken at the required time intervals showing compliance with permit conditions.  WEG prepared reports detailing pre-existing site conditions and construction progress during months 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12 of construction activities.  WEG will continue to track construction progress and prepare construction monitoring reports on a semi-annual basis for the remainder of construction of the school.

During this same time period, WEG has remained in contact with the regulatory agencies to keep them up to date on progress made at the Grafton Middle School project.  This on-going communication between WEG and the regulatory community is an important part of the services that WEG provides to clients.  The purpose of this communication is to ensure that agency personnel are kept apprised of any updates on construction schedules, revisions to plans, or unexpected site conditions that may develop.

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