The Alkire Road Industrial Buildings project consisted of the land release and commercial development of a 62.3-acre parcel located along Alkire Road owned by the Columbus Regional Airport Authority (CRAA) in Columbus, Ohio which required approval from the Federal Aviation Administration for the release of the land for development. The cultural resources work was completed pursuant to and in compliance with Section 106 of the NRHP. The Initial Subsurface Investigationn (ISI) was conducted to evaluate the potential contamination from historic property use to soil and groundwater as well as potential exposure during site development.

Archaeological fieldwork involved visual inspection, controlled surface collection, and systematic shovel testing. The purposes of the archaeological investigation were to determine whether previous archaeological surveys have been conducted in the survey area, if archaeological sites were known to exist within the survey area, if any previously unrecorded archaeological sites were located within the survey area and, if so, to make recommendations of eligibility for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on those sites. The windshield survey for historic/architectural resources entailed photo-documentation of the project vicinity and the recording of information regarding the buildings and structures within view of the project at a minimum level to provide a recommendation for future survey and documentation. A single Phase I report was produced detailing the results of the cultural resources investigations.

No buildings or structures over 50 years of age were identified within the viewshed of the project. Twelve archaeological sites were identified within the project limits, none of which were recommended as eligible for the NRHP. No further cultural resources work, and project clearance were recommended. The Phase I report was a combined report, which is a new project deliverable type for Metric’s cultural resources division.

In addition to the cultural resources services, Metric performed an ISI on the CRAA-owned parcels. The purpose of this ISI was to evaluate the current Site conditions for the potential redevelopment of the property. As part of the ISI, a limited geophysical assessment was conducted on the property, using a ground penetrating radar (GPR) instrument and an electro-magnetic (EM) instrument. Soil borings were installed at the Site for the collection of soil samples for laboratory analysis. The results of the ISI identified contaminants of concern above Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) Regional Screening Levels (RSLs) for naturally occurring metals in soil.

The consulting services performed by Metric were completed on time, without any safety incidents, and within budget. Metric consulted with the client at the start of the project to identify objectives and successfully met all these planned objectives as well as requirements at the Alkire Road Industrial Buildings at Bolton Field Airport.