[Project Name] – Decision Memo Mount Tecumseh Town of Waterville Valley United States Department Grafton County, NH of Agriculture Forest Decision Memo Service Prepared by EBI Consulting for Eastern Region SBA Towers II, LLC – Pemigewasset Ranger District White Mountain National Forest October 2011 For Information Contact: Molly Fuller Pemigewasset Ranger District White Mountain National Forest 71 White Mountain Drive Campton, New Hampshire 03223 Phone: 603-536-6101 Fax: 603-536-3685 www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/white_mountain.com White Mountain National Forest This document is available in large print. Contact the Pemigewasset Ranger District White Mountain National Forest Phone 603-536-6100 Fax 603-536-3665 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activi‐ ties on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720‐2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326‐W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250‐9410 or call (202) 720‐ 5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Printed on Recycled Paper 2 Mt. Tecumseh – Decision Memo Table of Contents 1 Summary.........................................................................................................................8 2 Background ....................................................................................................................8 2.1 Project Area ...........................................................................................................8 2.2 Purpose and Need ...............................................................................................9 2.3 Alternative Actions Considered But Dismissed ............................................ 10 3 Decision to Be Implemented ...................................................................................... 10 4 Rationale for Categorically Excluding the Decision ............................................... 11 4.1 Category of Exclusion ....................................................................................... 12 4.2 Finding that No Extraordinary Circumstances Exist .................................... 12 5 Public Involvement ..................................................................................................... 14 6 Findings Required By and/or Related to Other Laws and Regulations .............. 14 7 Administrative Appeal, Implementation Date and Contact ................................. 16 3 White Mountain National Forest – Pemigewasset Ranger District FIGURE 1 – LOCUS MAP STATE MAP Site Name / Number: Mt. Tecumseh / NH13784-A-13 Site Address: Mt. Tecumseh Waterville Valley, NH Latitude / Longitude: 43° 57' 32" N / -71° 33' 23" W X REGIONAL MAP X Maps courtesy of Bing.com 4 Mt. Tecumseh – Decision Memo FIGURE 2 – WATERVILLE VALLEY SKI AREA Site Name / Number: Mount Tecumseh / NH13784-A-13 Site Address: Mt. Tecumseh, Waterville Valley, NH 5 White Mountain National Forest – Pemigewasset Ranger District Project Area Image Area Aerials courtesy of Bing.com FIGURE 3 – PROJECT AREA (AERIAL) Site Name / Number: Mount Tecumseh / NH13784-A-13 Site Address: Mt. Tecumseh, Waterville Valley, NH 6 Mt. Tecumseh – Decision Memo FIGURE 4 – PROJECT AREA (LEASE EXHIBITS) Site Name / Number: Mount Tecumseh / NH13784-A-13 Site Address: Mt. Tecumseh, Waterville Valley, NH 7 White Mountain National Forest – Pemigewasset Ranger District 1 Summary After careful consideration of public input, the recommendations of appropriate resource specialists, and the requirements of applicable laws and regulations, I have decided to grant permission for the construction of a new 24.5ʹ x 10ʹ leasable space at the existing Mt. Tecumseh communications facility situated within the Waterville Valley Ski Area near the summit of Mount Tecumseh. Costs asso‐ ciated with the expansion will be covered by the New Hampshire Electric Co‐op. 2 Background 2.1 Project Area The Mt Tecumseh communication facility (herein, the Project Area) is located on the Pemigewasset Ranger District of the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF), in the Town of Waterville Valley, County of Grafton, New Hampshire; and described as being located in U.S. Tract 50F; Latitude 43° 57ʹ 32ʺ North, Lon‐ gitude 71° 33ʹ 26ʺ West (Figure 1). The Project Area is located within the bounda‐ ries of the Waterville Valley Ski Area. The Waterville Valley Ski Area (Figure 2) has 52 trails and 12 lifts on 259 skiable acres. The entire alpine ski area is located on National Forest System (NFS) lands. The WMNF has authorized the use of NFS lands for the Waterville Valley Ski Area through a special use permit granted in the mid‐1960s. The Project Area is located approximately 200 feet west of the upper terminus of the ski area chairlift, and approximately 3,000 feet south of the summit of Mt. Te‐ cumseh (Figure 3). The elevation at the Project Area ranges from between ap‐ proximately 3,820 and 3,830 feet above sea level (ASL). Access to the Project Area is from Waterville, NH through the Waterville Valley Ski Area on slope mainten‐ ance roads. This road is maintained and access to the Ski area and Project Area is controlled. The existing communications facility is authorized under Communications Use lease to SBA Towers II LLC (SBA). SBA owns all the facilities as well as the tower and pays the federal government rental fees based on the type of subleased 8 Mt. Tecumseh – Decision Memo communications use. This includes whether they are a customer (end user) or a tenant who resells communication services to others. Current occupants include Nextel Communications of the Mid Atlantic, the Forest Service, New Hampshire Electric Co‐op, RCC Atlantic, Central Vermont Communications, the FBI, NH#1 Rural Cellular, Plymouth Police and Rinkers Communication. 2.2 Purpose and Need The SBA proposal is to install a prefabricated concrete communications structure and lease this space to NHEC who will install the wireless smart meter equip‐ ment. The need for this project is to maximize the use of the site while also allow‐ ing for the installation of technologies to better serve the public. The implementa‐ tion of the smart meter system is intended to provide energy‐wise solutions that are both efficient and “green.” The NHEC began replacing all existing member electric meters with ʺsmart me‐ tersʺ in June 2011. Smart meters differ from the existing meters in that the tradi‐ tional ‘spinning dial’ is replaced by a digital output reading. The smart meters transmit electricity usage data via a wireless communications network, allowing for offering more accurate and timely readings. This wireless digital reading also provides members with access to greater detail about their energy usage and provides the NHEC with increased operational efficiencies. Once in place and enough data has been accumulated, members may access their personal digital readings via an online portal. Using the portal, members will be able to better understand their individual energy usage as well as peak energy usage times, allowing more informed, money‐saving choices to be made through better management of their energy consumption. Smart meters also assist the NHEC in identifying outages, without the need for members to report to them directly. When an outage occurs, it is automatically detected by the smart meter and wirelessly notifies NHEC headquarters. Currently, the lessee wishes to utilize the last existing space on the mountain top to accommodate the NHEC smart metering equipment. Once this space is occu‐ pied, any additional requests for space on the Tecumseh Communications site 9 White Mountain National Forest – Pemigewasset Ranger District will be denied or will be accommodated inside one of the existing communica‐ tions buildings (existing structures include the Communication Box housing the Nextel equipment, the existing multi‐user building or the Communication Box housing the NHEC equipment). The current SBA building is full with the possi‐ ble exception of stacking a small (i.e. 2‐foot by 2‐foot) cabinet for a future tenant similar to the current cabinet. It is due to this full capacity that new structures (i.e. shelters) are required. The existing facilities (i.e. Nextel’s shelter and US Cel‐ lular’s room) are already leased to them for the full square‐footage. No free leas‐ able space is available within them for additional users due to working space re‐ quired around their current electronics. According to the Mt. Tecumseh Site Management Plan, a primary objective is to “Accommodate the optimum/maximum use of the site by compatible communications uses consistent with Forest Land and Resource Management Plans, contiguous National Forest uses, natural resource management and objectives, good communications man‐ agement practices, and public needs.” 2.3 Alternative Actions Considered But Dismissed A no action alternative was considered but dismissed because it does not meet the purpose and need as described above. 3 Decision to Be Implemented My decision is to permit the construction of additional lease space at the existing communications facility for the purposes of housing equipment