(As originally published in the Environmental Monitor on September 19, 2023 and revised on October 17th, 2023)

Address of possible location:  124 Lake Street

Municipality where proposed action might be located: Coventry

Project Description: The proposed boathouse will occupy the footprint of the existing UConn boathouse which sits east of Coventry Lake (Wangumbaug Lake) on the site of the Town of Coventry’s Patriots Park. The new facility will include modernized facilities, including appropriate locker room space and bathrooms that are accessible from within the new building. These upgrades will support the recent team growth of both coaches and students. The total project footprint will occupy approximately 0.45 acres of the approximately 6.2-acre parcel on which it sits and will be comprised of the new boathouse, a gravel parking and boat hauling area, and a paved parking area to include a new Americans with Disability Act (ADA) accessible parking space and entrance (not currently provided on site).

Known as the “Coventry Boathouse Upgrades Project,” the Proposed Action to be assessed under the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act (CEPA) process consists of the following elements:

• Demolish existing, aged boathouse and replace with a modernized boathouse in the general footprint of the existing boathouse with an approximately 2,000 square foot (SF) addition
• Facility upgrades to include safe interior equipment storage areas, locker rooms, and bathrooms
• Upgrades to site drainage and stormwater management including a bioswale

The Proposed Action is located in the Mill Brook subregional watershed within the Willimantic local watershed. UConn will incorporate comments from a public scoping meeting and evaluate the Proposed Action with taking no action or other feasible alternatives. Direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts associated with the Proposed Action will also be assessed.

Project Map: Click here to view the project location and a figure of its approximate area.

Written comments from the public are welcomed and will be accepted until 5:00 PM EST on Friday, October 20, 2023 Tuesday, November 7, 2023

There will be a public scoping meeting online for this proposed action: The public scoping meeting is postponed and will be announced in a future Revised Scoping Notice.

DATE:  Wednesday, October 11, 2023 Wednesday, November 1, 2023 TBA

TIME:  6:00 PM EST

Participants MUST register in advance at:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_es-FoQYtQ3aSv6-MLBY-gg

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting, including an option to join by phone.

A copy of the presentation and recording of the public scoping meeting will be linked on this page by 5:00 PM EST on Friday, October 13, 2023 Thursday, November 2, 2023.

Written comments and/or questions about attending the public scoping meeting, or other questions about the scoping for this project, should be sent to:

Name: Antoaneta Fedeles, AIA, PMP, LEED AP

Agency: University Planning, Design & Construction

Address:  3 Discovery Drive, U-6038, Storrs, CT 06269

E-Mail: antoaneta.fedeles@uconn.edu

Inquiries and requests to view and or copy documents, pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, must be submitted to:  https://publicrecords.uconn.edu/make-a-request/

What Happens Next: The University will make a determination whether to proceed with preparation of an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) or that the project does not require the preparation of an EIE under the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act (CEPA). A Post-Scoping Notice of its decision will appear in a future edition of the Environmental Monitor.