In December 2020, Trileaf Corporation (Trileaf) performed a cultural resource inventory survey for a proposed monopine communications tower located in Troup County, LaGange, Georgia Latitude: 33° 01’ 58.57” N, Longitude: 85° 11’ 18.11” W. The project location is located within a wooded area.
Verizon Wireless proposes the construction of a new monopine telecommunications tower with an overall height of 199 feet (60.66 meters). The new tower and associated equipment will be situated within a proposed approximate 100 x 100-foot (30.5 x 30.5 meter) cell tower lease area. A proposed approximate 30 x 1,245-foot (9.1 x 379.48 meter) access and utility easement will travel generally northwest and then east away from the lease area towards Abbottsford Road. Total acreage of the new construction area is approximately 1.09 acres (0.44 Hectares).
Project Archaeologist Colin Bean, M.A., under the direction of Trileaf, performed this survey in response to the planned use of the above-described parcel and the potential impacts that such use might represent to archaeological and architectural cultural resources. The Phase I cultural resource survey was designed to discover all prehistoric and historical period cultural resources that might be present within the project area.
The field survey of the project area, which included a pedestrian survey, shovel testing, and visual inspection, found no evidence for the presence of archaeological or architectural properties in relation to the current project area’s Direct APE. Additionally, based on a map and survey form search using the resources of the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office GNAHRGIS GIS platform, inspections of the Georgia Archaeological Site Files (GASF 2020), as well as the resources of the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) conducted by Colin Bean, M.A., Project Archaeologist of the Trileaf Corporation, on December 27, 2020 identified no NRHP-listed or NRHP-eligible historical resources located within the 1/2-mile APE for visual effects. However, one (1) GNAHRGIS historical property (61170) was identified, with no prior determination of NRHP-eligibility, but included for inclusivity. A review of archaeological sites and surveys, conducted through the Georgia Archaeological Site File (GASF) on January 5, 2021, identified 18 previously recorded archeological sites (9TP104, 9TP223, 9TP224, 9TP225, 9TP234, 9TP235, 9TP243, 9TP404, 9TP483, 9TP484, 9TP485, 9TP486, 9TP559, 9TP755, 9TP756, 9TP766, 9TP829, and 9TP830), and two (2) archaeological surveys (807 and 13918) that were identified within 1-mile of the proposed project area.
Based on these findings, Trileaf recommends No Historic Properties within the Direct APE and No Historic Properties within the ½ -mile Visual APE. It is therefore recommended that project clearance be granted with no further investigation or evaluation of the project area relative to those resources.
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