Agenda - Council - 09/14/2021 - Laserfiche WebLink

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1.0 INTRODUCTION Excelsior Group is proposing construction of a residential development at "Trott Brook Property" in the City of Ramsey, Anoka County Minnesota. The project area, approximately 200 acres in size, is located in the NE 1/4 of Section 9 and NW 1/4 of Section 10 of Township 32N, Range 25W in Archaeological Region 4e: Central Lakes Deciduous East. The majority of the project area is cultivated with corn surrounded by patches of woods and wetlands. The project area extends from Nowthen Blvd at the eastern end to Variolite St NW at the west, and is generally bounded by 173rd Ave NW along the northern edge, and Trott Brook along the southern edge. Planned development includes approximately 270 residential lots, associated roads and ponds, approximately 13.4 acres of dedicated park land, and several ponds. Nienow Cultural Consultants LLC (NCC) was contracted to complete a Phase I Archaeological Survey in June of 2021. NCC's Principal Investigator for this project was Jeremy Nienow, PhD., RPA. NCC subcontracted six individuals to assist in completing research, fieldwork, and lab processing for the project: Alexandra Hedquist (Hedquist Archaeological Consulting, LLC), Andrew Vang-Roberts (Nang -Roberts Consulting), Chris Rico (Rico Cultural Resource Management Services, LLC), John Strot (John's Archaeological Consulting), and Laura Koski (Zooarchaeo Consulting). The investigation was guided by the Secretary of Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Historic Preservation (48FR44716), the State Historic Preservation Office's (SHPO) Manual for Archaeological Projects in Minnesota (Anfinson 2005), and the State Archaeologist's Manual for Archaeological Projects in Minnesota (Minnesota Office of the State Archaeologist 2011). Research and report preparation were accomplished by professional archaeologists meeting the standards set forth in 35CFR61. Work began with a literature review June 10 followed by fieldwork completed June 14-16, 2021. Fieldwork consisted of surface survey of all agricultural fields. Surface visibility in the agricultural fields ranged between 70 and 90%. Surface survey transects were spaced on a maximum of a seven -meter interval. After the identification of six artifacts during the surface survey, eight shovel tests were completed along a low ridge overlooking Trott Brook with a follow-up ninth test located at Find Spot 1 at the southern base of the ridge. Shovel tests were typically 35-40 centimeters (cm) wide and at least 80cm deep. All soils were screened through 1/4" mesh screen, detailed profile notes completed, photographs taken, and GPS points collected for each shovel test. Architectural review was not included as part of this project. Phase I Archaeological Survey of Trott Brook Property Ramsey, Anoka County, Minnesota Nienow Cultural Consultants, LLC 1