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?
RML Master Plan Community Workshop—May 5, 2007
Prepare Draft Master Plan and EIS—summer 2007
Issue Notice of Availability of RML Master Plan Draft EIS—late summer 2007
Hold Public Hearing on Draft EIS—fall 2007
Complete EIS Public Review Process—winter 2007
Prepare Final Master Plan and EIS—winter 2007/early 2008
What is the Status Report of the RML Master Plan as of June 2006?
The Planning Team has completed an RML master plan program for the campus, working in conjunction with RML and NIAID. Projected program and facility needs are being arranged in five-year increments covering a 20-year planning horizon ending in 2025.
Following the establishment of the program, the team in fall/winter 2006 developed three alternative concepts for future campus development—a No Growth option, a Low Growth option, and a Capacity Growth option. The alternatives vary slightly based on the potential program growth accommodated on the campus. The alternatives also consider, for example, different ways of addressing RML animal facilities and research laboratories and new amenities. Planners also reviewed options to relocate and consolidate some RML services, such as maintenance, storage, and other support functions to different portions of the campus. Subsequently, NIH made a decision to use the Low Growth option as the basis for the development of master plan concepts.
The concepts are guided by the "planning goals" which were outlined at the March 23rd Scoping Meeting. Chief among these is protecting the integrity of the surrounding residential neighborhood. As noted at the Scoping Meeting, the master plan goals and planning principles will govern future campus planning decisions, such as those related to structure types, landscape and open space patterns; development density zones and community buffers; functional relationships; and public access, orientation and parking.
The Project Team has also been developing drafts of the Existing Conditions sections of the master plan report, using information assembled previously during the data collection phase, and material taken from previous RML facility studies. These are undergoing review by facilities planning staff.
Community Workshop Upcoming
An RML Master Plan Community Workshop is planned for May 5, 2007 at the Hamilton High School, Commons Room. It will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided. The purpose of the meeting is to allow for dialogue between the planners and local residents, both to provide a better understanding of the Master Plan elements and to invite the public’s ideas on the early plan concepts. Some of the preliminary meeting materials are below. Other materials will be added to this web site as it becomes available. If you want to know more about this meeting, please contact either Ron Wilson or Pat Stewart at the telephone numbers listed below.
Community Workshop Agenda
Description of RML Master Plan Concept
As part of the process of developing the RML Master Plan, the planning team, in collaboration with NIAID and RML, developed master plan concepts illustrating how anticipated RML personnel and space growth through 2025 could be accommodated on the campus assuming (1) the campus boundaries remain unchanged and, (2) the campus borders are expanded due to land acquisition for increased security. The following are the major “program” elements that comprise these concepts along with a brief description. The concepts are based on an “Estimated Requirements” or low growth scenario for the campus. These will be described in further detail at the planned May 5, 2007, Community Workshop.
New construction under both alternatives is anticipated to include
· A new two-story, plus basement, laboratory building of approximately 40,000 square feet (Building A) located west of the new Integrated Research Facility (IRF) building
· A new 32,000 square foot 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
· Completion of the new two-story, plus basement, Building 31 (approximately 23,000 square feet), currently in design, to consolidate administrative and other support services; and a future addition to the west to provide a central stock room and seminar room (Building C/D)
· A new one-story, plus basement, maintenance and general storage building (Building E) of approximately 21,000 square feet located in the southwest corner of the site. This facility will consolidate functions currently housed in a number of smaller dispersed buildings
· Elimination of the east power generator building located near the entrance to the campus and expansion of the existing west power station (Building G) to consolidate generator locations and provide for anticipated additional loads
· Provision of a centralized solid waste management facility (Building F) across from the new Shipping and Receiving Building (Building 29) at the service entrance to the campus
· Renovation of the existing Building 7, originally a central mechanical plant, as research space
Both alternatives include near-term 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; demolition of
Buildings 12, 16 and 17 near the south edge of the campus; creation of a new central
gathering space on campus; and expansion of parking capacity to accommodate new
IRF staff.
In particular, both alternatives provide for further parking expansion to approximately
450 spaces to handle future needs. In one option this parking is approximately divided
between the southeast portion of the site and a new surface lot along the north
boundary. The other option is based on possible acquisition of property to the north and
permits the preponderance of parking to be in that location and away from the south
property line.
