Suchergebnisse

Hicks & Company archaeologists, working on behalf of Naismith Engineering Incorporated (Naismith) and the City of Del Rio (the City), recently conducted an intensive archaeological survey for the City's proposed San Felipe Hike and Bike Trail Improvements Project located in downtown Del Rio, Val Verde County, Texas (Figure 1). According to current design plans, the proposed project consists of the renovation of approximately 285 linear meters (938 linear feet) of existing hike and bike trail within a two-meter (six-foot) wide corridor and the creation of approximately 378 linear meters (1239 linear feet) of hike and bike trail within a three-meter (10-foot wide corridor). In addition, proposed improvements include the construction of eight new solar-powered lighting stations and signage. Depth of impacts is expected to be approximately 24 centimeters (10 inches) for proposed new and renovated trail and between 65 and 100 centimeters (30 and 90 centimeters) for signage (Appendix A: Design Plans). Depth of impacts for solar-powered lighting is expected to be similar to that of signage. Funded by the City of Del Rio, a political entity of the state of Texas, and therefore subject to the Antiquities Code of Texas (ACT), this project was reviewed by the Texas Historical Commission (THC) in 2012 on behalf of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Following review, the THC recommended that archeological survey was warranted prior to construction as the project area had never been surveyed and, being adjacent to San Felipe Creek, was within an area of high probability for cultural resources (letter Wolfe to Goldblum, July 6, 2012: See Appendix B Regulatory Correspondence). The current investigations were conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit #7245 in accordance with the THC and the Council of Texas Archaeologists' (CTAs) guidelines for intensive archaeological survey. During the investigations, nine shovel tests were excavated, with all shovel tests negative for cultural materials greater than 45 years of age. Shovel tests JH1-JH6, excavated along the trail segment that is between State Highway (SH) 277 and SH 90 noted sediment similar to that of the Reynosa soil series- silty clay loams grayish brown to pale brown and/or brown in color. All six shovel tests conducted along this segment noted a thick bed of smooth-surfaced gravel between 5-20 centimeters below the surface. Three shovel tests (shovel tests JH7-JH9) were excavated at the southernmost segment, located approximately 1,000 meters south of SH 277. Shovel tests JH7 and JH8 noted deep, moist, silty reddish brown clay loams with little to no gravel inclusions. Sediment from shovel test JH9 was similar in character to shovel tests JH1-JH6. Fieldwork for the archaeological survey occurred on April 8 and April 9, 2015, requiring approximately 11 field hours to complete. Josh Haefner served as Principal Investigator, conducting the field investigations and authoring the report. As Geographic Information System (GIS) specialist, Jerod McCleland produced all maps and graphics. In addition to this Management Summary, this report includes sections on Research Design and Methodology, and Results of the Survey. These sections are followed by conclusions containing formal regulatory recommendations. Also included, as appendices, are design plans illustrating the various design segments (Appendix A), regulatory correspondence (Appendix B), and shovel test locations (Appendix C). No archaeological sites were recorded during the investigations. All projectgenerated notes, forms, and photographs will be curated at the Center for Archeological Studies in San Marcos, Texas. This report is offered in partial fulfillment of Texas Antiquities Permit #7245.

In July of 2016, Hicks & Company completed an archeological areal survey for the city of Coleman's Proposed New Waterline Project located in Coleman County, Texas. The survey was completed for the city of Coleman under Texas Antiquities Permit #7704 with investigators surveying a total of 31 acres. The project will be funded through a Community Block Grant Program, as managed by the Texas Department of Agriculture, a political entity of the state of Texas, and is therefore subject to the Antiquities Code of Texas (ACT). The archeological investigations consisted of pedestrian survey supplemented by shovel testing (n = 6) along with backhoe trenching (n = 12). No cultural materials were encountered and no archeological sites were recorded during the course of the survey. Based on the results of the survey, regulatory clearance for the project is recommended to proceed with no further cultural resource coordination necessary. This report is offered in partial fulfillment of the requirements for ACT Permit #7704. All project-related materials will be curated at the Center for Archaeological Studies (CAS) in San Marcos, Texas.

Schertz-Seguin Local Government Corporation (Client) is proposing to construct an 18-inch water main pipeline along the west side of State Highway (SH) Business 123 (Stockdale Highway/South Austin Street) crossing of the Guadalupe River in the City of Seguin, Guadalupe County, Texas (Project). According to current design plans, the proposed water line would be connected to an existing pipeline located approximately 75 feet (ft) [23 meters (m)] north of the Guadalupe River near the existing Max Starke Park Water Treatment Plant and an existing main pipeline located approximately 75 ft (23 m) south of the Guadalupe River along SH 123 in Seguin, Texas. The Area of Potential Effects (APE) consists of two work areas, one north and one south of the Guadalupe River. The northern work area consists of 0.20 acres (ac) and the southern work area consists of 0.15 ac. The APE is 0.35 ac in total. The Project is within the City of Seguin, a subdivision of the state , and thus triggers a review of cultural resources under the Antiquities Code of Texas (Section 191.0525). Additionally, due to Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) permitting requirements the Project falls under the regulations of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (U.S. Code 16, §470, et seq.). TRC archeologists conducted a limited desktop literature and archives review for the proposed Project to assess whether previously recorded cultural resources are within or adjacent to the APE or within a 1-mile (mi) (1.6-kilometer [km]) of the APE. This included a review of the THC's Archeological and Historic Sites Atlas (Atlas) which provides information related to the location of previously conducted archeological surveys and recorded archeological sites, cemeteries, properties currently listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks (RTHLs), and State Antiquities Landmarks (SALs) that may be impacted by the proposed Project. According to the THC-Atlas, no previously conducted archeological surveys, archeological sites, cemeteries, historic properties, or historical markers intersect or are adjacent to the APE. Fieldwork was conducted by TRC archeologists on February 12, 2020 under Antiquities Permit Number 9263. The intensive archeological field survey included survey of 100 percent of the APE supplemented with shovel testing and visual inspection. Survey methods followed the guidelines and survey standards set forth by the THC and Council of Texas Archeologists (CTA). Review of the project plans showed that of the 155 m (509 ft) proposed water line only 27 m (89 ft) of the line to the north and 18 m (59 ft) of the line to the south will be buried with the remainder above ground and spanning the Austin Street bridge. Survey efforts were concentrated along the buried portions of the proposed water line. Due to the high degree of ground disturbance from existing utilities, bridge construction, and the presence of steep slope only a single shovel test could be excavated. Nine additional 'No Dig' observation points were recorded to document the areas of disturbance and slope. No cultural resources or historic structures were identified within the APE. No additional work is recommended.

Hicks & Company archaeologists, working on behalf of HowCo, Incorporated, and Haskell County (the County), recently conducted an intensive archaeological survey for the County's proposed Paint Creek Water Improvements Project, located east of downtown Haskell in Haskell County, Texas. According to current design plans, the proposed project consists of the installation of a new water well and approximately 3,670 meters (m) of new, 15 centimeterdiameter, waterline within a 10 meter-wide corridor (Appendix A: Design Plans). Depth of impacts for the waterline installation is expected to be no more than 1.25 meters below ground surface. The project will be funded through a Texas Community Block Grant Program, as managed by the Texas Department of Agriculture, a political entity of the state of Texas, and is therefore subject to the Antiquities Code of Texas (ACT). This project was initially reviewed by the Texas Historical Commission (THC) in 2015. Following this review, the THC recommended that archeological survey was warranted for the waterline segment located along Callaway Road between State Highway (SH) 380 and East Road, a distance of approximately 1,540 m (Figure 1). According to the THC, this segment had never been surveyed and, being adjacent to Buffalo Creek, is located within an area of high probability for cultural resources (letter Wolfe to Howard May 6, 2015: See Appendix B: Regulatory Correspondence). Totaling approximately 16 field hours, archeological investigations were conducted on June 22 and 23, 2015, and consisted of pedestrian survey of the Callaway Road segment, supplemented with 13 shovel tests, all of which were negative for cultural materials. In addition to these shovel tests, one backhoe trench was excavated just south of Buffalo Creek. No artifactual materials greater than 50 years in age, features, or archeological sites were encountered during this investigation. Based on the results of the current survey, it is recommended that no archeological historic properties (36 CFR 800.16(1)) or State Antiquities Landmarks (SALs) (13 TAC 26.12) will be affected by the proposed project and no further archeological investigations are recommended prior to construction. Josh Haefner, as Principal Investigator, and Gregg Cestaro, as Project Archeologist, conducted the investigations and authored the report. As Geographic Information System (GIS) specialist, Jerod McCleland produced all maps and graphics. In addition to this Project Description and Management Summary, this report includes sections on Environmental Setting, Methodology, Results of the Field Investigations, and Conclusions and Recommendations. Also included, as appendices, are design plans illustrating the various design segments (Appendix A), regulatory correspondence (Appendix B), and shovel test and backhoe trench locations (Appendix C). All project-generated notes, forms, and photographs will be curated at the Center for Archeological Studies (CAS) in San Marcos, Texas. This report is offered in partial fulfillment of Texas Antiquities Permit #7302.

In January 2014, Hicks & Company completed an intensive areal survey of the Jacob's Well Natural Area in Wimberley, Hays County, Texas. The survey was completed for Hays County under Texas Antiquities Permit #6732 in preparation for redevelopment of the 81.5-acre area as detailed in the Jacob's Well Development Master Plan finalized in July 2012. The improvements will be constructed on land that is owned and controlled by Hays County, a political subdivision of the State of Texas, and is therefore subject to the requirements of the Antiquities Code of Texas. Furthermore, since the proposed project is funded through an Outdoor Recreation Grant by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Recreation Grants Branch, and utilizing the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, the project is also subject to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended. Construction is anticipated to include a new visitor center, trails, interpretive areas, and other associated infrastructure throughout the site. The archeological investigations consisted of pedestrian survey supplemented by shovel testing (n = 79). No previously unrecorded archeological sites were encountered during the survey; however, archeologists revisited Site 41HY25 just south of Jacob's Well, originally recorded in 1963 as a site comprised of three burned rock middens. No clear indication of the three burned rock middens originally recorded was observed, and no artifacts or additional features were recorded during the current investigations. Regarding its boundaries within the survey area, the research value of Site 41HY25 is considered to be exhausted, and any of its components within the Jacobs Well Natural Area are considered ineligible for listing as a State Antiquities Landmark or for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The remainder of the project area contained three intermittent trash scatters, most of which contained glass bottles, rusted metal car parts, and other discarded items. One of these scatters covered an approximately 30-meter by 40-meter area and contained modern (likely post-1980) discarded materials such as doors, windows, fencing, and a concrete sculpture within the prairie west of Camp Jacob. Two isolated finds, a broken biface and a primary flake, were noted on the surface of the uplands in the northern portion of the project area. Shovel testing and surface inspection surrounding these artifacts indicated that the area was devoid of additional artifacts or features. Hicks & Company recommends that the proposed project be allowed to proceed with no further cultural resource coordination. The survey followed a no-collection policy, and all artifacts were returned to their find location in the field. All project-related notes, forms, and photographs will be permanently curated at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory in Austin, Texas.

On May 29 and 30, 2014, archeologists from Hicks & Company conducted a 100-percent intensive areal survey of the Elmendorf Lake Park Improvements Project in Bexar County, Texas. Subsequent monitoring work was conducted on June 11, 2015. The project area consists of the limits of Elmendorf Lake Park and its associated existing trail system from south of Commerce Street between Southwest 24th Street and 19th Street, and along the north and south banks of Apache Creek beginning approximately 200 feet north of Commerce Street and terminating at Southwest 24th Street, an area that includes a segment of the Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) campus (Figure 1). According to current design plans, the proposed project includes trail improvements, water quality improvements, property acquisition, street realignment, utility relocation, parking lot construction, park bench and shade structure installation, channel modification, the demolition of the existing pool, and the creation of a new pool (Appendix A: Sheets SL1.00–SL1.14). Other planned improvements include signage, elevated walkways and tie-ins with existing paved roads, parking lots, and outfalls and bio-swales (Appendix A: Sheets DT1.01–DT1.24). The proposed project will be constructed on land that is owned and controlled by the San Antonio River Authority (SARA), the City of San Antonio (COSA) Parks and Recreation Department, and OLLU, all of which are political subdivisions of the State of Texas. Therefore, the proposed project is subject to the requirements of the Antiquities Code of Texas (ACT). The project will also likely require federal permitting under Section 408 of the Clean Water Act, necessitating compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, as amended. The intensive pedestrian survey took approximately 32 labor-hours to complete and was supplemented by shovel testing (n = 34) in relatively undisturbed contexts. Following survey-level investigations, a small-segment of the park, where bridge support piers would be installed well below a meter in depth, was recommended for archeological monitoring by the COSA Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) during construction. Monitoring at this location was conducted on June 11, 2015 and resulted in the recordation of no new archeological sites. Based on the results of the current investigations, it is recommended that no archeological historic properties (36 CFR 800.16(1)) or State Antiquities Landmarks (13 TAC 26.12) will be affected by this project and that no further archeological investigations are necessary for the majority of the proposed project area prior to construction at the main body of Elmendorf Lake Park and the proposed trail system improvements on the west of 24th Street and on the OLLU side of the Lake. However, in coordination with the COSA OHP, due to planned impacts beyond the limit of shovel test investigations, it was determined that excavations for pier supports at the two planned foot bridges at the "island formation" will require archeological monitoring during construction. A separate, historic standing structures survey is to be conducted by Hicks & Company and will further address direct and indirect effects to these items under the ACT and Section 106 of the NHPA of 1966, as amended. Report production immediately followed the conclusion of fieldwork. Josh Haefner served as the Principal Investigator for the project, and Gregg Cestaro served as Project Archeologist. Josh Haefner and Gregg Cestaro conducted the survey investigations. Archeological monitoring was done by Meghan Egan and Josh Haefner. Gregg Cestaro, Josh Haefner, Samantha Champion, and Ashleigh Knapp authored the report. Subsequent sections of this report include a discussion of the environmental setting, cultural background, brief discussion of previous surveys and recorded sites, description of field methodology, and discussion of the results of field investigations. The report concludes with formal regulatory recommendations.