great smoky mountains national park issues environmental assessment of proposed cades cove

Managers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park have issued an Environmental Assessment (EA) which describes the possible resource and visitor impacts of the Park proposal to improve concession facilities at Cades Cove Campground Store.  The project site is located adjacent to Cades Cove Campground and approximately 8 miles from Townsend, Tennessee.  The proposed project would improve the existing concession facilities to enhance facilities and services for the public within the scope of the Concession Facilities Improvement Program included in the concession contract under which the store is operated.

The current Cades Cove Campground Store facilities consist of a campground store building with attached public restrooms and open-sided amphitheater and a bicycle rental building.  Services provided in the Cades Cove Campground Store building include; groceries, convenience items, camping supplies, a snack bar and deli, and limited souvenirs. Services provided in the Cades Cove Campground Store Bicycle Rental building include; bicycle rental and other associated bicycle services, firewood and ice sales, limited souvenir sales, and vending.  Although these facilities adequately served their purpose at the time of construction (1958), visitation to Cades Cove has increased significantly since that time and the facilities no longer meet the needs of the concessioner or the Park visitor.

Two alternatives are analyzed in the Environmental Assessment.  Under Alternative A, there would be no changes made to the existing buildings, sidewalks, or accessible ramps.  Under the Alternative B, the bicycle rental building will be expanded by approximately 1,600 square feet for the storage of rental bicycles and for the storage of retail stock, vending machine stock, and firewood storage.  Several sidewalks will be widened and sidewalks will be added to safely and adequately accommodate pedestrian and bicycle traffic and improve accessibility.  The area between and adjacent to the two buildings will be landscaped to add some native plantings and benches. Dependent on future need, an outside service window for the snack bar may be constructed on the west side of the campground store building.

Under requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, the Park has released an EA that states the potential impacts of the proposed concession facilities improvements on such Park resources as natural resources, soils, and cultural landscape. The EA also weighs the impact of the proposed improvements on aesthetics and visitor experience, public use and access, and Park management and operations. The EA is available for public review at the Park Headquarters in Gatlinburg, the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee and at the following public libraries: Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood Street, Asheville, North Carolina 28801;Marianna Black Library, 33 Fryemont Road, Bryson City, North Carolina 28713; Qualla Boundary Public Library, 810 Acquoni Road, Cherokee, NC 28719;Anna Porter Public Library, 207 Cherokee Orchard Road, Gatlinburg, Tennessee  37738; Lawson-McGee Library, 500 West Church Avenue, Knoxville, Tennessee 37915.

The EA has also been posted and is available for public review on the NPS' Planning web site at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/grsm.  Click on the "Cades Cove Campground Store EA" link.  The public can provide comments directly on the project site or submit written comments by mail to: Superintendent, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 107 Park Headquarters Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738.   Comments should be submitted by August 10, 2009.