During the period of April 10 through April 13, 2012, R.S. Webb & Associates (RSWA) conducted a Phase I cultural resources literature review and field survey of the proposed Phase III area for the Covington Municipal Airport improvements in Newton County, Georgia (Figure 1). The Phase I area of the improvements project was surveyed in December 2011 (Figure 1; Port and Gantt 2012). The Phase III project area includes approximately 15 acres south of the existing airport runways and west of the Phase I improvement area. A stream forms the north boundary of the east part of the project area; there is some overlap between the Phase I and III project areas along the stream.
Most of the Phase III acreage is east of City Pond Road, except for northwest section which is west of the road. The project also includes a proposed sewerline corridor which runs south from the southwest corner of the Phase III improvement tract. The corridor parallels the east side of City Pond Road for about 3,200 feet before heading west across the road to follow the south side of Roberts Way (a cul-de-sac) for about 400 feet. At that location it will tie into an existing sewerline. The proposed sewerline is within the road rights-of-way; the construction width will not exceed 50 feet. The project area is located north of Covington in District 9, Land Lots 287, 292, 293, 294, 308, and 309; it is mapped on the 7.5 Minute USGS Jersey, Georgia topographic quadrangle (1964; photorevised 1985) [NAD 1927] (Figure 1).
Improving the airport requires Federal Aviation Administration and the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) oversight and therefore, compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). The studies were conducted to identify cultural resources within the project Area of Potential Effects (APE) and determine if the proposed improvements project will potentially affect cultural resources eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). A Acultural resource@ is defined as a discrete area of human activity that is more than 50 years old.
Based on the information available during the literature and records search and the field survey, no NRHP eligible/listed properties, state-recognized historic structures, or archeological sites are recorded within the Phase III project area APE. Given that no NRHP eligible/listed cultural resources would be affected by the proposed Covington Airport improvements project, no additional cultural resources work is recommended.
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