PUBLIC NOTICE
Madison County/Jackson Madison County School System has applied for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding through the Tennessee Emergency Management (TEMA). As a sub-recipient.
Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), federal actions must be reviewed and evaluated for feasible alternatives and for social, economic, historic, environmental, legal, and safety considerations. Under Executive Order (EO) 11988 and EO 11990, FEMA is required to consider alternatives to and to provide a public notice of any proposed actions in or affecting floodplains or wetlands. EO 12898 also requires FEMA to provide the opportunity for public participation in the planning process and to consider potential impacts to minority and low-income populations. This notice may also fulfill requirements under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).
Funding for the proposed project will be conditional upon compliance with all applicable federal, tribal, state, and local laws, regulations, floodplain standards, permit requirements and conditions.
Applicant: Madison County
Project Title: Pope Elementary School/Community Safe Room
Location of Proposed Work:
Name of Structure: See Table
Address of Structure: See Table, Madison County, TN
A map showing the location of all properties is available by contacting (POINT-OF-CONTACT listed below)
Facility Address Latitude /Longitude Date of Construction
Madison County 1081 Ashport Rd, 35.715514 -88.8659629
Pope Elementary School Jackson, TN 38305
Proposed Work and Purpose: Madison County School System proposes the construction of a new stand-alone, above-ground safe room. The Safe Room will be newly constructed in the Pre-K / Kindergarten wing of Pope Elementary School which will be a newly constructed Pre-K – 8th-grade school. The proposed saferoom will be constructed using reinforced concrete walls and internal steel frames in accordance with the International Building Code 2012 (TSFM) & IBC 2018 (City of Jackson) ASCE 7-10 and 7-16 minimum design loads for buildings and other structures, ICC 500 and FEMA 361 standards to withstand up to 250 mph winds consisting of approximately 8,880 sq ft. This saferoom will be a multi-purpose structure- that will double as a classroom and a community safe room. Because the Assembly spaces will either be utilized by the student body population or after school hours there will not be a time when both the Educational Areas and Assembly areas will be occupied simultaneously; therefore, the safe room must provide space for the greater occupant load of the two which is 1,765 occupants. This safe room will provide immediate life safety protection in the target area of impact of extreme wind or tornado where it is necessary for the school population and surrounding community that is in the impact area for the extended time period that a tornado or extreme wind event is occurring. The overall mitigation goal is to have a safe room to be structurally independent for the safety of the students, faculty, and community.
Project Alternatives:
Alternative #1 (no action alternative): Madison County/Jackson-Madison School District firmly believes that if no action is taken, injuries will occur and lives will be lost. Our community currently does not have a safe room they can turn to in the event of severe weather. Unfortunately, according to the National Risk Index, our county is in a relatively high-risk area for tornadoes, and is a fact we cannot change. However, by preparing for the safety of our citizens now, we may affect the outcome in the future. The option of taking no action is an idea that Madison County/Jackson-Madison School District is not willing to consider. We are committed to providing a safe room for our organization's students, staff, and surrounding individuals and residents; any assistance FEMA can provide will ensure our successful construction.
Alternative #2: Reducing the Size of the Community Safe Room. If the entire performance hall and attached locker rooms/toilets cannot serve as the community safe room, Madison County/Jackson-Madison School District will discuss internally to determine which room in the facility will fit to serve as the community safe room. We plan to have other rooms in our facility that will have the potential to serve as a safe room (i.e. a cafeteria, dance rehearsal studio.)
PUBLIC COMMENTS: Any individual, group, or agency disagreeing with the proposed projects and is wishing to
comment on these projects may submit written comments to Madison County, contact information
below. All comments received by March 31, 2023 will be reviewed by the County, and forwarded on to
the State and FEMA.
POINT-OF-CONTACT:
Mr. Jason Moore, EMA Director
239 Grady Montgomery Dr.
Jackson, TN 38301
Tele: 731-427-1271
