ANTH-375 Arch Field Methods
Project Design and Budgeting Project
Due: Midnight, Wednesday, December 5th
Assignment: This assignment asks you to use your knowledge of archeological project phases and field equipment to develop an archeological survey research design and budget for a tract of land near Crawfordsville, Indiana. For this project, you are adopting the role of a Principal Investigator working for a private Cultural Resource Management firm located in Indianapolis. The Crawfordsville Municipal Airport wishes to expand its facilities on a tract of land adjacent to the current facilities. Your job is to develop an archeological survey research design for this property, including a detailed budget. The goal is to formulate a plan that will be approved by the Department of Natural Resources Division of Historic Preservation and Archeology (DNR – DHPA), who has oversight of the project, while also keeping the budget small enough to win a bid against your competitors. Of course, you also must obtain some profit for your company.
Location Details: The project area consists of approximately 160 acres of land containing both wooded areas and agricultural fields. Only half of the land included in the agricultural fields has greater than 30% visibility. Slopes vary from 0 to greater than 35%. A small area of floodplain is included in the project area. The approximate center of the project area lies at 40°01’44.69”N 86°58’28.55”W.
Structure of Report: The report structure and layout should follow the 1994 Draft Guidebook for Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Inventory – Archeological Sites. The relevant sections to include are the Title Page, Introduction, Research Design, Background Research, Field Methods & Techniques, References Cited, Graphics & Illustrations, and Addenda. Since this project is a project proposal, the proposed budget should also be incorporated into the document. Successful completion of each of these sections will require substantial research both of primary source materials (for background research and methods) and budgeting (e.g., for price quotes).
Budget: An archeological research budget is a complicated document with many facets. The budget must be constructed so as to balance the specific challenges of a particular research area while assuring that the project does not go over budget. To calculate your budget for this project, you must include each of the following items. For some items, the estimated cost is provided for you, while for others you are required to research local venues and available products. Be sure to include price quotes and calculations for all items included in your budget as an addendum in your report. For items you calculate, this includes hotel price listings, mileage calculations, and a detailed accounting for all mathematical computations. Be sure to show your work!
Required line items for your budget:
Hotel – Calculate your hotel budget as a per night per person estimate with one person per room.
Per Diem – Per diem for this project is $30 per person.
Background Research – Background research costs $70 per hour per person. Calculate background research as 2 person-hours per square mile, with background research required for all areas within a 1 mile radius of the boundaries of the project area.
Vehicle – At least one is required for key project personnel. You are required to find a local vehicle rental company and determine rates. Be sure to determine legal passenger capacity and calculate additional travel expenses for anyone who cannot travel in the rental vehicle.
Travel – Travel reimbursement for anyone not traveling in a rental vehicle is $0.55 per mile. Be sure to budget travel expenses from Indianapolis to the hotel (twice a week if you do not work weekends) and to and from the site each day.
Field Crew – Field crew costs are complicated and are based on level of experience and training. For this project, you will hire one principal investigator at a rate of $25 per hour and one crew chief at a rate of $17 per hour. The principal investigator will conduct fieldwork, but her/his primary responsible is in dealing with clients, keeping track of project paperwork, and supervising personnel. The crew chief can complete pedestrian survey over 20 acres of high visibility plowed field per day or can complete 20 shovel probes per day. The crew chief must be present for Phase Ic operations. S/he and one other crew member (of any level) can complete 1 acre of Phase Ic trenches (with the aid of a backhoe operator) per day.
Additional field crew can include inexperienced personnel at a rate of $8 per hour or experienced personnel at a rate of $15 per hour. The inexperienced personnel can survey 18 acres of high visibility plowed field per day or can complete 10 shovel probes per day. The experienced personnel can survey 20 acres of high visibility plowed field per day or can complete 15 shovel probes per day.
Backhoe Operator – The hourly rate for a backhoe operator is $75 per operator per hour. Equipment costs are included in this rate.
Crop Damage – Crop damage to agricultural fields costs approximately $750 per acre. Crop damage need only be calculated for agricultural fields requiring backhoe trenching.
Artifact Processing – Artifact processing costs are estimated per person-hour. Estimate the time cost for artifact processing to be 3 hours per identified archaeological site. The estimated number of sites discovered is 1 site per 5 acres for high potential areas and 1 site per 10 acres for low potential areas.
Graphics & Report Layout – Graphics personnel bill at $25 per hour. Budget for 3 hours of graphics design & report layout costs per site.
Equipment – All basic field equipment and supplies (disposables) will need to be budgeted for this project. You must develop a thorough list of equipment required for Phase Ia and Ic testing, estimate the number of each of these items that will be needed (do not forget bags and Sharpies!), and find price quotes. For archeological equipment use the Forestry Suppliers website. For supplies, find the cheapest available online price quotes. Be sure to include all price quotes as an addendum in your report.
Overhead – Overhead costs are highly variable. For your company they are fairly low at 5%.
Publishing – You will need to print 10 copies of your final report at a cost of approximately $50 per copy.
Profit – You decide, but you will need to make it worth your company’s time and effort!
Project Maps: