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NA0551 Site Andersonville, GA 31711 Project No. 212IC-BF-00222 Summary of Phase I Cultural Resource Investigations

Author(s)
Report Number
5779
Year of Publication
2021
County
Abstract

Viasat, Inc. (Viasat) proposes to construct, operate, and maintain a new satellite earth station (satellite) not to exceed 6.1 meters (m) (20 feet [ft]) in height, located in Macon County, Georgia (Project). The Project is in southwest Macon County approximately 52 m northwest from Englishville Road and 444 m southwest from Stubbs Road approximately 5.47 kilometers (km) north from the City of Andersonville (Latitude/Longitude [NAD83]: 32.245347°, - 84.141241°). Proposed plans include the construction of an approximately 56-m-long by 6.1-m wide access road and utility easement beginning at Englishville Road and extending north and then northeast to the pad location. The proposed pad, including workspace, measures 7.6-m by 8.5-m. A secondary proposed utility easement consists of an approximately 17-m-long by 3-mwide easement extending east from the proposed pad to an existing utility pole with transformer.  

The total Project area, including the secondary utility easement, measures approximately 0.04 hectare (ha) (0.11 acre [ac]). A United States Geological Survey (USGS) map and aerial photograph of the Project location are provided in Figures 1 and 2 in the Figures and Photographs section at the end of the report. 

Area of Potential Effect: Tetra Tech, Inc. (Tetra Tech) has determined the archaeological Area of Potential Effect (APE) for the proposed Project includes all areas of ground-disturbing activities. 

The archaeological APE includes all Project workspace, access roads, and equipment pad locations. 

Tetra Tech determined the historic architecture or visual APE to include the following direct and indirect effects: 

• Where a historic property may be damaged or permanently disturbed; 

• Where the character of the property’s use, or of physical features within the property’s setting that contribute to its historic significance, may be changed; 

• Where the property is removed from its historical location; and 

• Where the introduction of visual, atmospheric, or audible elements diminish the integrity of the property’s significant historic features. 

Subsequently, direct and indirect effects to historic structures, buildings, or districts as a result of the Project were considered as part of the study. In general, the visual APE, as referred to in this study, is the “geographic area or areas within which an undertaking may directly or indirectly cause changes in the character of or use of historic properties, if any such properties exist” (36 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] §800.16[d]). Given the low-profile of the proposed Project (maximum satellite dish height is 6.1 m [20 ft]) and extent of screening provided by potential topography, built environment, and existing vegetation, visual impacts within the visual APE were determined to include a 152 m (500 ft) radius. A map of the archaeological APE and visual APE is provided in Figure 1 in the Figures and Photographs section of the report.