Article date: November 21, 2000

Stephen A. Heavener

executive director of Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority

By Ashley May

An archaeological firm may still dig deeper into specific areas of the Avtex Superfund site, according to Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority Executive Director Stephen A. Heavener.

FMC Corp., a former owner of Avtex and the major private party responsible for the cleanup effort, has proposed a more-detailed search in areas where evidence of American Indians was found, Heavener said.

He said he sent the firm back to work on a phase two study that will reduce the scope of the project, as outlined in a recommendation by William G. Cutler, remediation project manager for FMC.

Earlier this year, FMC hired Parsons Engineering Science, of Fairfax, to perform a routine phase one study to determine whether archaeological artifacts were present on the only portion of the plant grounds that had never been disturbed, he said.

In that study, a field team found archaeological evidence of an Indian encampment scattered over about 12 acres of the site, Heavener has said.

Parsons Engineering archaeologist Cindy Auman said that the team found flakes of stone, pieces of ceramic and fire-cracked rocks in two places, evidence that prehistoric American Indians once occupied the site.

Artifacts were found to be scattered widely, but indicated two clear sites, on about 12 of the 37 acres studied, Auman said.

Divided by a wetland area, both are near the administrative building of the plant, on the only portion of the 500-acre grounds that was earmarked for the study.

Neither site yielded actual tools, but a broken stone point found on the southern site looks as if it might be a "bitface" broad spear point, Auman said. Because it was incomplete and broken, there is no way to determine exactly what it is or when it was tooled, she said.

Without a known tool pattern, it is hard to determine who occupied the site, how long ago or for how long, she said.

Heavener said that no matter how significant the find is, it only enhances interest in the 500-acre property, but the discovery does make further action necessary. A study must continue before the importance of the discovery and the redevelopment potential of the property is determined, he said.

On Friday, William G. Cutler, remediation project manager for FMC, said that Parsons has offered to perform a more detailed phase two study, which calls for an active archaeological dig, for $160,000, Heavener said.

Cutler said that engineers identify parts of the study area that may be affected by future development, Heavener said. Some parts won’t need to be disturbed, such as under a bridge and next to two wetland areas, he said, so the scope of the phase two study is negotiable.

"We want them to try to identify those critical areas that may have some impact on future development," Heavener said.

Also, Heavener said that FMC will ask Parsons to provide another less expensive estimate.