Verizon Wireless has proposed to construct a telecommunications tower facility in
Telfair County, Georgia. The proposed Site will consist of a 100' x 100' (30.5 x 30.5 m) lease parcel to contain a fenced tower compound consisting of a 275' (83.8 m) (285' [86.9 m] with appurtenances) tall self-support tower and associated equipment. The tower compound and tower will include space to accommodate the collocation of additional antennae and ground mounted
equipment. Also proposed is a 30' (9.1 m) wide access/utility easement to extend 62' (18.9 m) northeast from Workmore Road to end at the lease area.
The APE for direct effects is the construction site for the proposed telecommunications facility, where such construction would result in ground disturbance and dislocation of soil. This area of potential direct effects, determined by an examination of plan maps provided by Verizon Wireless, consists of the 100' x 100' (30.5 m x 30.5 m) lease parcel and the proposed 30' (9.1 m) wide x 62' (18.9 m) long access/utility easement.
As required by the Nationwide Programmatic Agreement for Review of Effects on Historic Properties, DEA, on behalf of the Applicant, Verizon Wireless, has made a reasonable and good faith effort to identify Native American Tribes that may attach religious and/or cultural importance to resources that may be affected by this project.
A review of Georgia's Natural, Archaeological, and Historical Resources GIS (GNAHRGIS), as well as records, files and maps at the Georgia Historic Preservation Division offices, indicate that no previously documented resources have been identified within the three-quarter mile APE for visual effects. Moreover, no historic properties within the APE for visual effects have been identified through comments of Indian Tribes, local governments, or members of the public.
The lease area and the proposed access/utility easement are located within an agricultural grazing field. The southernmost 10' (3.0 m) of the proposed access/utility is located within existing field road which exhibited 100 percent surface visibility.
This project was subjected to an archaeological investigation on February 26, 2015 by Virginia Janssen. A single pedestrian transect was used to assess the proposed access/utility easement. In addition, six pedestrian transects, spaced approximately 5 m apart, were used to assess the proposed lease area (Figure 5). Ten 40 x 40 cm subsurface tests, with soils from this test dry-screened through 6 mm hardware cloth, were excavated within the proposed APE for direct effects. Nine shovel tests were excavated within the lease area; the tenth shovel test was excavated within the northern portion of the proposed access/utility easement. All ten shovel tests revealed 0-20 cm of dark gray (Munsell SYR 4/1) sandy loam over 20-30 cm of yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sandy clay loam. Maximum shovel tests depths ranged between 40 and 50 cm below the ground
surface. No archaeological features were noted on the surface and no cultural material indicative of an archaeological site was recovered from the excavated shovel tests. Considering this, it is the opinion of the principal investigator that no intact, significant archaeological site is present within the defined APE for Direct Effects. It is recommended that there are no historic properties are located within the APE for direct effects.
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