11 November 2004

Dear Friends of Hampton National Historic Site:

At Hampton National Historic Site, Baltimore County, Towson, Maryland, the National Park Service proposes to install an environmental control system (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, or HVAC) and a central automated fire suppression system at the Hampton Mansion. The project also includes the replacement of approximately 80 feet of an existing two-inch water line with a new six-inch water line, upgrading of the Mansion's electrical subsystem and security system, and improvements to the building envelope (the replacement of doors and windows) to enhance the efficiency of the environmental control system.

The purposes of this project are to: 1) stabilize temperature and humidity within Hampton Mansion to reduce the present accelerated rate of deterioration of museum objects and of the historic structure itself, as well as to improve visitor and staff health and safety, and 2) to reduce the risk of damage or loss of life or property (historic structures and museum collections) in the event of a fire.

Enclosed is an Environmental Assessment (EA) that details the National Park Service proposal. The EA is also available for public review on the World Wide Web at www.nps.gov/hamp.. Two alternatives are described and their environmental consequences assessed. Alternative A is the no action alternative. Alternative B is the National Park Service's preferred alternative. The environmentally preferred alternative is Alternative B.

We welcome your input on the project and our intended efforts to avoid adverse effects on park resources. The public comment period closes 35 calendar days after the date at the top of this letter. If you wish to comment on the EA, you may mail comments to me at the address above or e-mail your comments to me at HAMP_superintendent@nps.gov. Our practice is to make comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular business hours. Individual respondents may request that we withhold their home address from the record, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law. There also may be circumstances in which we would withhold from the record a respondent's identity, as allowable by law. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. We will make all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.

Thank you for your interest in Hampton National Historic Site.

Sincerely,

/S/ Laurie E. Coughlan Superintendent

INSTALL FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM & ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLS Hampton National Historic Site Towson, Maryland: Environmental Assessment / Assessment of Effect

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