The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in consultation with the Tennessee Historical Commission (THC), Cherokee Nation and the City of Celina, TN, propose to develop a Programmatic Agreement (PA) for phased compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. 306108). The undertaking involves the lease of Donaldson Park to the City of Celina, Clay County, Tennessee. This notice is to inform interested parties of the proposed PA development and to solicit comments.
The Corps is proposing to lease Donaldson Park, which comprises of approximately 91 acres of Corps Fee lands to the City of Celina (Lessee), TN for a period of not more than 20 years. The PA would allow Celina to take over and manage daily operations of the Park from the Corps and implement a phased compliance to identify historic properties pursuant to 36 CFR 800.14(b). As additional funding becomes available for new project actions the Lessee would be held to the terms of the PA which would stipulate a submission of design plans to the Corps prior to approval to determine the scope of identification efforts as prescribed by 36 C.F.R. § 800.4 to identify historic properties. The Lessee would be responsible to contract with a cultural resources consultant that meets or exceeds the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Professional Qualification and those standards set by the THC to carry out any archaeological or architectural surveys necessary to identify and document any cultural resources.
Donaldson Park is located approximately .5 miles northeast of the town of Celina, TN and comprises of approximately 91 acres of wooded and open areas along the Obey River. The park grounds include pavilions, public use restrooms, playground, tennis courts, several parking areas, a boat launch and an unimproved walking trail. The Lessee would initially take upon responsibility of managing daily operational activities, which would involve, standard building and grounds maintenance and to include trash pickup and recycling. The Lessee plans to apply for funding for additional projects through state grant programs and other sources, and the funding stream may vary across and would be dependent of grant award. Proposed project may include paving the existing foot trail and incorporating workout stations, rehabilitating existing facilities, and constructing canoe and kayak launch points.
Implementing a PA would allow the Lessee to adhere to an alternative phased identification approach to identify historic properties as their project funding becomes available and be in compliance with Section 106 and 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act. If you would like to comment or request to participate in the development of the Programmatic Agreement, please contact Jordan C. McIntyre, Archaeologist, jordan.c.mcintyre@usace.army.mil or 615-736-5982 by May 18, 2020.