Environmental Assessment for Pave Parking Area at the East Entrance to Columbus Air Force Base

Abstract : 14th Security Forces Squadron (SFS) proposes paving a parking area at the entry control facility at the east (main) entrance to the base. The purpose of the parking area would be to provide an area for vehicles to park while waiting for security inspections and/or security clearance. The paved area would also provide a paved area for vehicles lacking proper clearance to be turned around before passing through the identification checkpoint. The proposed action would be to pave an area approximately 43,500 square feet, around the entry control facility northeast of Highway 786. The parking area would begin as a drive along the northwest side of the entry control facility and continue around the building on the northern side increasing in width and terminating along Hwy 786. This area is currently grass covered (Attachment 1). Columbus AFB is located approximately 10 miles northwest of the city of Columbus in Lowndes County, Mississippi. The installation size is approxin1ately 4,903 acres. The Tombigbee River is located northwest and the Buttahatchee River is immediately north of the installation. Single homes and mobile home communities are immediately east of the base. The community of Kolola Springs is located to the northeast, U.S. Highway 45 to the east and southeast, Oakdale Park subdivision to the south and mobile home parks to the south and southwest. The area to the west is undeveloped woodland. The affected environment includes Columbus AFB and the above-described surrounding properties.